Neodymium (Nd)
lanthanideSolid
Standard Atomic Weight
144.242 uElectron configuration
[Xe] 6s2 4f4Melting point
1020.85 °C (1294 K)Boiling point
3073.85 °C (3347 K)Density
7010 kg/m³Oxidation states
0, +2, +3, +4Electronegativity (Pauling)
1.14Ionization energy (1st)
Discovery year
1841Atomic radius
185 pmDetails
Neodymium is a light lanthanide metal and one of the more abundant rare-earth elements. It occurs in minerals with other lanthanides rather than as a native element. Its chemistry is dominated by the trivalent ion Nd³⁺, which gives many salts and glasses a pink to violet color. Technologically, neodymium is most important in high-strength permanent magnets and in optically active glasses and crystals.
The metal has a bright silvery metallic luster, Neodymium is one of the more reactive rare-earth metals and quickly tarnishes in air, forming an oxide that spalls off and exposes metal to oxidation. The metal, therefore, should be kept under light mineral oil or sealed in a plastic material. Neodymium exists in two allotropic forms, with a transformation from a double hexagonal to a body-centered cubic structure taking place at 863°C.
The name derives from the Greek neos for "new" and didymos for "twin". It was discovered by the Swedish surgeon and chemist Carl Gustav Mosander in 1841, who called it didymium (or twin) because of its similarity to lanthanum, which he had previously discovered two years earlier. In 1885, the Austrian chemist Carl Auer (Baron von Welsbach) separated didymium into two elements, one of which he called neodymium (or new twin).
Neodymium was discovered by Carl F. Auer von Welsbach, an Austrian chemist, in 1885. He separated neodymium, as well as the element praseodymium, from a material known as didymium. Today, neodymium is primarily obtained from through an ion exchange process monazite sand ((Ce, La, Th, Nd, Y)PO4), a material rich in rare earth elements.
From the Greek word neos meaning new, and didymos, twin. In 1841, Mosander, extracted a rose-colored oxide from cerite , which he believed contained a new element. He named the element didymium, as it was an inseparable twin brother of lanthanum. In 1885 von Welsbach separated didymium into two new elemental components, neodymia and praseodymia, by repeated fractionation of ammonium didymium nitrate. While the free metal is in misch metal, long known and used as a pyrophoric alloy for light flints, the element was not isolated in relatively pure form until 1925. Neodymium is present in misch metal to the extent of about 18%. It is present in the minerals monazite and bastnasite, which are principal sources of rare-earth metals.
Images
Properties
Physical
Chemical
Thermodynamic
Nuclear
Abundance
Reactivity
N/A
Crystal Structure
Electronic Structure
Identifiers
Electron Configuration Measured
Nd: 4f⁴ 6s²[Xe] 4f⁴ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f⁴ 6s²Atomic model
Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.
Schematic atomic model, not to scale.
Atomic Fingerprint
Emission / Absorption Spectrum
Isotope Distribution
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 142 Stable | 141.907729 ± 0.000002 | 27.1520% | Stable |
Phase / State
Reason: 995.9 °C below melting point (1020.85 °C)
Schematic, not to scale
Phase transition points
Transition energies
Energy required to melt 1 mol at melting point
Energy required to vaporize 1 mol at boiling point
Energy required to sublime 1 mol at sublimation point
Density
At standard conditions
At standard conditions
Atomic Spectra
Showing 10 of 60 Atomic Spectra. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).
Lines Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Total lines | Transition probabilities | Level designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nd I | 0 | 118 | 9 | 9 |
| Nd II | +1 | 617 | 255 | 600 |
Levels Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Nd I | 0 | 739 |
| Nd II | +1 | 840 |
| Nd III | +2 | 31 |
| Nd IV | +3 | 19 |
| Nd V | +4 | 2 |
| Nd VI | +5 | 2 |
| Nd VII | +6 | 2 |
| Nd VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Nd IX | +8 | 2 |
| Nd X | +9 | 2 |
Ionic Radii
| Charge | Coordination | Spin | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | 8 | N/A | 129 pm |
| +2 | 9 | N/A | 135 pm |
| +3 | 6 | N/A | 98.3 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/A | 110.9 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/A | 116.3 pm |
| +3 | 12 | N/A | 127 pm |
Compounds
Isotopes (1)
Natural neodymium is a mixture of seven stable isotopes. Fourteen other radioactive isotopes are recognized.
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 Stable | 141.907729 ± 0.000002 | 27.1520% ± 0.0400% | Stable | stable |
Extended Properties
Covalent Radii (Extended)
Van der Waals Radii
Atomic & Metallic Radii
Numbering Scales
Electronegativity Scales
Polarizability & Dispersion
Miedema Parameters
Supply Risk & Economics
Phase Transitions & Allotropes
| Melting point | 1289.15 K |
| Boiling point | 3347.15 K |
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Screening Constants (13)
| n | Orbital | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1.1868 |
| 2 | p | 4.2434 |
| 2 | s | 15.7838 |
| 3 | d | 13.8432 |
| 3 | p | 19.311 |
| 3 | s | 19.6572 |
| 4 | d | 33.1908 |
| 4 | f | 37.734 |
| 4 | p | 29.986 |
| 4 | s | 29.0136 |
Crystal Radii Detail (6)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | VIII | 143 | ||
| 2 | IX | 149 | ||
| 3 | VI | 112.3 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | VIII | 124.9 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | 130.3 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | XII | 141 | estimated, |
Isotope Decay Modes (52)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 124 | B+ | — |
| 124 | B+p | — |
| 125 | B+ | 100% |
| 125 | B+p | 0% |
| 126 | B+ | — |
| 126 | B+p | — |
| 127 | B+ | 100% |
| 127 | B+p | — |
| 128 | B+ | — |
| 129 | B+ | 100% |
X‑ray Scattering Factors (508)
| Energy (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 0.24448 |
| 10.1617 | — | 0.25177 |
| 10.3261 | — | 0.25926 |
| 10.4931 | — | 0.26698 |
| 10.6628 | — | 0.27494 |
| 10.8353 | — | 0.28312 |
| 11.0106 | — | 0.29156 |
| 11.1886 | — | 0.30024 |
| 11.3696 | — | 0.30918 |
| 11.5535 | — | 0.31839 |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
4.15×101 milligrams per kilogram
References (1)
- [5] Neodymium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele060.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
2.8×10-6 milligrams per liter
References (1)
- [5] Neodymium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele060.html
Production
Production of this element (from raw materials or other compounds containing the element).
The element may be obtained by separating neodymium salts from other rare earths by ion-exchange or solvent extraction techniques, and by reducing anhydrous halides such as NdF3 with calcium metal. Other separation techniques are possible.
References (1)
- [6] Neodymium https://periodic.lanl.gov/60.shtml
References
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
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This section provides all form of data related to element Neodymium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.