NEODYMIUM, GADOLINIUM, TERBIUM, Dysprosium, HOLMIUM, ERBIUM
NEODYMIUM
Atomic symbol: Nd
Atomic weight: 144.24
Atomic number: 60
Electron configuration: 2-8-18-22-8-2
Oxidation states: +3
State of matter: solid
Heavy metal, brittle
Discovered in 1885 by Carl Auer von Welsbach
Boils at 3127°C, melts at 1010°C
Notes:
Used in special alloys and glasses, neodymium is a silvery-white color that turns yellow when exposed to air. It is used in electronics and the manufacture of steel in alloys—especially in cigarette lighter flints. In ceramics it is used as a glaze and to color glass. The crude oxide is used to counteract the green color in iron in glass, and the m ore pure compound is used in the manufacture of purple glass.
GADOLINIUM
Atomic symbol: Gd
Atomic weight: 157.25
Atomic number: 64
Electron configuration: 2-8-18-25-9-2
Oxidation states: +3, +4
State of matter: solid
Heavy metal, brittle
Discovered in 1880 by J.C.G de Marignac and P.É Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Boils at 3223°C, melts at 1311°C
Notes:
Gadolinium has a silvery-white color and is moderately ductile. It becomes ferromagnetic below 17°C, and near absolute zero, becomes superconducting. It is used for some electronics, high-temperature refractories, and as an alloying agent.
TERBIUM
Atomic symbol: Tb
Atomic weight: 158.92534
Atomic number: 65
Electron configuration: 2-8-18-27-8-2
Oxidation states: +3
State of matter: solid
Heavy metal, brittle
Discovered in 1843 by Carl Gustaf Mossander
Boils at 3041°C, melts at 1360°C
Notes:
Terbium has a silver-white color. It is a rare earth metal of the yttrium group and a member of the lanthanide series.
DYSPROSIUM
Atomic symbol: Dy
Atomic weight: 162.500
Atomic number: 66
Electron configuration: 2-8-18-28-8-2
Oxidation states: +3
State of matter: solid
Heavy metal, brittle
Discovered in 1886 by P.É. Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Boils at 2335°C, melts at 1409°C
Notes:
A hard and reactive metal, dysprosium has few uses. Its compounds can be used as catalysts in oil refining, and as components in some electronics. Near absolute zero, dysprosium is superconducting.
HOLMIUM
Atomic symbol: Ho
Atomic weight: 164.93032
Atomic number: 67
Electron configuration: 2-8-18-29-8-2
Oxidation states: +3
State of matter: solid
Heavy metal, brittle
Discovered in 1878 by J.L Soret and M. Delafontaine
Boils at 2720°C, melts at 140°C
Notes:
Holmium is a rare earth metal of the yttrium group and a member of the lanthanide series. It is silver in color made of hexagonal close packed crystals. It is one of the most paramagnetic sources known.
Atomic symbol: Er
Atomic weight: 67.259
Atomic number: 68
Electron configuration: 2-8-18-30-8-2
Oxidation states: +3
State of matter: solid
Heavy metal, brittle
Discovered in 1843 by C.G. Mosander
Boils at 2510°C, melts at 1522°C
Notes:
Erbium is a metal with few uses. It is a grayish- silver color and can be used as an infrared absorbing glass and as an activator in some phosphorescent materials.
