Dysprosium (Dy)
lanthanideSolid
Standard Atomic Weight
162.5 uElectron configuration
[Xe] 6s2 4f10Melting point
1411.85 °C (1685 K)Boiling point
2566.85 °C (2840 K)Density
8550 kg/m³Oxidation states
0, +1, +2, +3, +4Electronegativity (Pauling)
1.22Ionization energy (1st)
Discovery year
1878Atomic radius
175 pmDetails
Dysprosium is a heavy lanthanide metal with atomic number 66. In compounds it is overwhelmingly trivalent, forming pale salts whose chemistry resembles that of neighboring rare earths. Its technological importance comes from an unusually large magnetic moment and strong magnetic anisotropy, especially when incorporated into high-performance permanent magnets. Natural dysprosium is a mixture of stable isotopes and is obtained with other rare earth elements rather than as a native metal.
The element has a metallic, bright silver luster. It is relatively stable in air at room temperature, and is readily attacked and dissolved by dilute and concentrated mineral acids, to evolve hydrogen. The metal is soft enough to be cut with a knife and can be machined without sparking if overheating is avoided. Small amounts of impurities can greatly affect its physical properties.
The name derives from the Greek dysprositos for "hard to get at", owing to the difficulty in separating this rare earth element from a holmium mineral in which it was found. It was discovered by the Swiss chemist Marc Delafontaine in the mineral samarskite in 1878 and called philippia. Philippia was subsequently thought to be a mixture of terbium and yttrium. It was later rediscovered in a holmium sample by the French chemist Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1886, who was then credited with the discovery. Dysprosium was first isolated by the French chemist Georges Urbain in 1906.
Dysprosium was discovered by Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, a French chemist, in 1886 as an impurity in erbia, the oxide of erbium. The metal was isolated by Georges Urbain, another French chemist, in 1906. Pure samples of dysprosium were first produced in the 1950s. Today, dysprosium is primarily obtained through an ion exchange process from monazite sand ((Ce, La, Th, Nd, Y)PO4), a material rich in rare earth elements.
From the Greek word dysprositos, meaning hard to get at. Dysprosium was discovered in 1886 by Lecoq de Boisbaudran, but not isolated. Neither the oxide nor the metal was available in relatively pure form until 1950, when the development of ion-exchange separation and metallographic reduction techniques were created by Spedding and associates. Dysprosium occurs along with other so-called rare-earth or lanthanide elements in a variety of minerals such as xenotime, fergusonite, gadolinite, euxenite, polycrase, and blomstrandine. The most important sources, however, are from monaziate and bastnasite. Dysprosium can be prepared by reduction of the trifluoride with calcium.
Images
Properties
Physical
Chemical
Thermodynamic
Nuclear
Abundance
Reactivity
N/A
Crystal Structure
Electronic Structure
Identifiers
Electron Configuration Measured
Dy: 4f¹⁰ 6s²[Xe] 4f¹⁰ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹⁰ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 158 Stable | 157.9244159 ± 0.0000031 | 0.0950% | Stable |
| 160 Stable | 159.9252046 ± 0.000002 | 2.3290% | Stable |
| 161 Stable | 160.9269405 ± 0.000002 | 18.8890% | Stable |
| 162 Stable | 161.9268056 ± 0.000002 | 25.4750% | Stable |
| 163 Stable | 162.9287383 ± 0.000002 | 24.8960% | Stable |
| 164 Stable | 163.9291819 ± 0.000002 | 28.2600% | Stable |
Phase / State
Reason: 1386.8 °C below melting point (1411.85 °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 66 Atomic Spectra. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).
Lines Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Total lines | Transition probabilities | Level designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dy I | 0 | 230 | 73 | 73 |
| Dy II | +1 | 421 | 17 | 17 |
Levels Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Dy I | 0 | 740 |
| Dy II | +1 | 576 |
| Dy III | +2 | 2 |
| Dy IV | +3 | 13 |
| Dy V | +4 | 2 |
| Dy VI | +5 | 2 |
| Dy VII | +6 | 2 |
| Dy VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Dy IX | +8 | 2 |
| Dy X | +9 | 2 |
Ionic Radii
| Charge | Coordination | Spin | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | 6 | N/A | 107 pm |
| +2 | 7 | N/A | 112.99999999999999 pm |
| +2 | 8 | N/A | 119 pm |
| +3 | 6 | N/A | 91.2 pm |
| +3 | 7 | N/A | 97 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/A | 102.69999999999999 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/A | 108.3 pm |
Compounds
Isotopes (6)
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158 Stable | 157.9244159 ± 0.0000031 | 0.0950% ± 0.0030% | Stable | stable | |
| 160 Stable | 159.9252046 ± 0.000002 | 2.3290% ± 0.0180% | Stable | stable | |
| 161 Stable | 160.9269405 ± 0.000002 | 18.8890% ± 0.0420% | Stable | stable | |
| 162 Stable | 161.9268056 ± 0.000002 | 25.4750% ± 0.0360% | Stable | stable | |
| 163 Stable | 162.9287383 ± 0.000002 | 24.8960% ± 0.0420% | Stable | stable | |
| 164 Stable | 163.9291819 ± 0.000002 | 28.2600% ± 0.0540% | 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 | 1685.15 K |
| Boiling point | 2840.15 K |
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Screening Constants (13)
| n | Orbital | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1.2914 |
| 2 | p | 4.3204 |
| 2 | s | 17.2906 |
| 3 | d | 13.6701 |
| 3 | p | 20.1195 |
| 3 | s | 20.6067 |
| 4 | d | 34.982 |
| 4 | f | 39.464 |
| 4 | p | 32.174 |
| 4 | s | 31.408 |
Crystal Radii Detail (7)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | VI | 121 | ||
| 2 | VII | 127 | ||
| 2 | VIII | 133 | ||
| 3 | VI | 105.2 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | VII | 111 | ||
| 3 | VIII | 116.7 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | 122.3 | from r^3 vs V plots, |
Isotope Decay Modes (56)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 138 | B+ | — |
| 138 | B+p | — |
| 139 | B+ | 100% |
| 139 | B+p | 11% |
| 140 | B+ | — |
| 140 | B+p | — |
| 141 | B+ | 100% |
| 141 | B+p | — |
| 142 | B+ | 100% |
| 142 | e+ | 90% |
X‑ray Scattering Factors (514)
| Energy (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 0.15635 |
| 10.1617 | — | 0.1621 |
| 10.3261 | — | 0.16806 |
| 10.4931 | — | 0.17425 |
| 10.6628 | — | 0.18066 |
| 10.8353 | — | 0.18731 |
| 11.0106 | — | 0.19421 |
| 11.1886 | — | 0.20135 |
| 11.3696 | — | 0.20876 |
| 11.5535 | — | 0.21654 |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
5.2 milligrams per kilogram
References (1)
- [5] Dysprosium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele066.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
9.1×10-7 milligrams per liter
References (1)
- [5] Dysprosium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele066.html
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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The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
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This section provides all form of data related to element Dysprosium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.