{"id":298,"date":"2020-04-09T10:18:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T10:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=298"},"modified":"2023-08-15T13:02:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T13:02:57","slug":"neodymium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/neodymium\/","title":{"rendered":"Neodymium (Nd)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Neodymium is a chemical element with the atomic number 60 in the periodic table. Despite being classified as a rare-earth element, neodymium is widely distributed in Earth\u2019s crust. It mainly occurs in the mineral ores. As a member of the lanthanide series of periodic table elements, this rare-earth metal<\/a> has three valence electrons that help neodymium to form many compounds characterized with rich and bold colors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Element 60 is a part of the strongest magnet in the world. The Nd-Fe-B magnet is widely used in the industrial branches dealing with electrical and electronic devices, while the neodymium lasers have a significant role in medicine regarding cancer treatments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Neodymium<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol<\/td>Nd<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>60<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>144.2 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group (number)<\/td>Lanthanides<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>6 (f-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A silvery-white metal<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From less than 70 seconds to 7\u00d71018 years<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>1.14<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>7.0 g cm-3<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>1016\u00b0C, 1861\u00b0F, 1289 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>3074\u00b0C, 5565\u00b0F, 3347 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.181 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>N\/A<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>37<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>142Nd<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Xe] 4f46s2<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>533 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the second ionization<\/td>1040 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the third ionization<\/td>2130 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Discovery date<\/td>In 1885 by Carl Auer von Welsbach<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol Nd, atomic number 60, atomic mass of 144.2 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [Xe] 4f<\/span>4<\/span>6s<\/span>2<\/span>, neodymium is soft, ductile, and malleable metal with a bright and silvery lustrous appearance. It reaches its boiling point at 3074\u00b0C, 5565\u00b0F, 3347 K, while the melting point is achieved at 1016\u00b0C, 1861\u00b0F, 1289 K. This member of the lanthanide family of elements in the periodic table has an electronegativity of 1.14 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.181 nm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon exposure to air, neodymium tarnishes extremely fast, but the formed coating does not protect this metal from further oxidative processes.\u00a0 Having a hexagonal to body-centered cubic structure, neodymium occurs in two allotropic forms –\u00a0 \u03b1 and \u03b2. The sharp absorption capacity of neodymium changes the color of glass under different lighting conditions. Namely, upon oxidation, neodymium forms reactions that produce pink, purple, blue, and yellow compounds. In these compounds, neodymium typically adopts the +2, +3, and +4 oxidation states.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Neodymium Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Austrian scientist Carl Auer von Welsbach (1858-1929) is the first scientist who has succeeded in identifying this rare earth element in a mixture labeled as <\/span>didymium<\/span><\/i>. His interest in didymium was sparked by the Swedish chemist Carl Mosander (1797-1858), who had incorrectly identified this mineral. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wanting to isolate all elements of this compound, von Welsbach performed <\/span>fractional crystallization<\/span><\/i> of the double ammonium nitrate tetrahydrates derived from nitric acid. This method was invented by von Welsbach himself. After conducting 167 crystallizations, the results of his chemical trial helped the Austrian chemist to clearly isolate two different substances from the didymium sample – a bluish-lilac substance that he called <\/span>neodymium,<\/span><\/i> and its green \u2018twin\u2019 – <\/span>praseodymium<\/span><\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 18 June 1885, Carl Auer von Welsbach informed the Vienna Academy of Sciences of his discovery. While the German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen recognized von Welsbach\u2019s efforts and accepted the results of his work, the other scientists remained skeptical due to the limited experimental technology they had at their disposal at the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Neodymium Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This chemical element got its name after the Greek words \u2018<\/span>neos<\/span><\/i>\u2019 and \u2018<\/span>didymos<\/span><\/i>\u2019, which mean \u2018<\/span>a new twin<\/span><\/i>\u2019. This points out the relation of element 60 to praseodymium<\/a> – the element that was recognized alongside neodymium by the Austrian discoverer Carl Auer von Welsbach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Neodymium?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being classified as a rare earth element, neodymium never occurs naturally in its pure, elemental form. Only yttrium<\/a>, lanthanum<\/a>, and cerium<\/a> are more plentiful rare-earth elements than neodymium.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neodymium is usually traced in the minerals monazite and bastn\u00e4site, but it\u2019s extremely difficult to be extracted from the mineral ores containing other rare earth elements. The element 60 can be isolated from the minerals monazite and bastn\u00e4site by the process of ion exchange, or by solvent extraction of the substance. In addition, neodymium can also be obtained by reducing anhydrous halides (like NdF<\/span>3<\/span>) with calcium<\/a> metal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest neodymium mines are located in China, the United States, Australia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Neodymium in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before any use, neodymium always undergoes a process of refinement, which is performed by an ion-exchange purification of the substance. The following instances show some applications of neodymium:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n