Neodymium
Description
A soft, malleable metallic element. Neodymium is a rare-earth element that occurs in the minerals monazite, bastnaesite, cerite and gadolinite. It was discovered by Carl von Welsback in 1885 in Austria. Pure neodymium is a grayish white metal that turns yellowish with exposure to air. The oxide is a pale blue powder that is soluble in water. Neodymium and its oxide are used as a glass colorants for sunglasses and art objects. Neodymium imparts a dichroic property to glass that makes is useful as a filter plate on color television tubes to improve image contrast. Other salts of neodymium have rose and violet colors.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Nd; néodyme (Fr.); Neodym (Deut., Sven.); neodimio (It., Esp.); Neodímio (Port.)
Hazards and Safety
Irritant to eyes and skin.
Fisher Scientific: MSDS
Physical and Chemical Properties
Reacts slowly with water. Soluble in dilute acids. Sensitive to air and moisture.
| Composition | Nd (atomic no. 60) |
|---|---|
| CAS | 7440-00-8 |
| Melting Point | 1021 |
| Density | 7.003 |
| Molecular Weight | atomic wt = 144.27 |
| Boiling Point | 3074 |
Resources and Citations
- Web Elements: Website
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976.
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 6538
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998