Neodymium (Nd)

Neodymium is a soft silvery metal used to make powerful permanent magnets.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Carl Auer von Welsbach discovered neodymium in 1885 as the second half of didymium, naming it the 'new twin'.
• Neodymium-iron-boron magnets, introduced in 1984, are the strongest permanent magnets known.
• Its magnets drive hard drives, headphones, wind turbines, and electric-vehicle motors, and neodymium-doped YAG crystals power widely used lasers.

Specifications & Metrics

• NUM: 60
• SYMBOL: Nd
• CATEGORY: Lanthanide
• ATOMIC MASS: 144.24 u
• ELECTRONEGATIVITY: 1.14 Pauling
• ATOMIC RADIUS: 229 pm
• IONIZATION ENERGY: 5.525 eV
• MELTING POINT: 1294 K
• BOILING POINT: 3347 K
• DENSITY: 7.01 g/cm³
• ELECTRON CONFIGURATION: [Xe]6s2 4f4
• OXIDATION STATES: +3
• STANDARD STATE: Solid
• GROUP BLOCK: Lanthanide
• YEAR DISCOVERED: 1885