Dysprosium (Dy)
lanthanideSolid
Peso atómico estándar
162,5 uConfiguración electrónica
[Xe] 6s2 4f10Punto de fusión
1411,85 °CPunto de ebullición
2566,85 °CDensidad
8550 kg/m³Estados de oxidación
0, +1, +2, +3, +4Electronegatividad (Pauling)
1,22Energía de ionización (1.ª)
5,939061 eVAño de descubrimiento
1878Radio atómico
175 pmDetalles
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.
Pure dysprosium is a bright, silvery metal when freshly cut, but it slowly tarnishes in air. It is relatively soft and can be machined, though the metal is reactive enough that clean surfaces require protection. At ordinary temperature it is paramagnetic; it develops more ordered magnetic states only at low temperatures.
The largest practical use of dysprosium is as an additive to neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets, where it improves resistance to demagnetization at elevated temperature. This is important in traction motors, wind-turbine generators, and compact actuators, although manufacturers try to minimize the amount used because supply is constrained. Dysprosium is also used in Terfenol-D magnetostrictive alloy, in some specialty lighting and laser materials, and as neutron-absorbing material in selected nuclear-technology applications.
There are no commercial applications for dysprosium. Since it easily absorbs neutrons and has a high melting point, dysprosium might be alloyed with steel for use in nuclear reactors. When combined with vanadium and other rare earth elements, dysprosium is used as a laser material.
Dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3), also known as dysprosia, is combined with nickel and added to a special cement used to cool nuclear reactor rods. Other dysprosium compounds include: dysprosium fluoride (DyF3), dysprosium iodide (DyI3) and dysprosium sulfate (Dy2(SO4)3).
While we have not found many applications for dysprosium, its thermal neutron absorption cross-section and high melting point suggest metallurgical uses in nuclear control applications and for alloying with special stainless steels. A dysprosium oxide-nickel cement has found use in cooling nuclear reactor rods. This cement absorbs neutrons readily without swelling or contracting under prolonged neutron bombardment. In combination with vanadium and other rare earths, dysprosium has been used in making laser materials. Dysprosium-cadmium chalcogenides, as sources of infrared radiation, have been used for studying chemical reactions.
Isotopes in Industry
The isotopes of dysprosium are highly magnetic and have been the subject of physics research involving interactions of isotopes and the structure of lattice supersolids (spatially ordered material with superfluid properties, i.e. zero viscosity). The Magneto-Optical Trapping (MOT) chamber is used for slowing atoms (isotopes) to study the physics of neutral atoms by using a laser light to cool atoms (“Doppler cooling”) and magnetic quadrupole fields to slow and “trap” the neutral atoms (Fig. IUPAC.66.1) [462] S. H. Youn, M. Lu, U. Ray, B. L. Lev. Am. Phys. Soc. Phys. Rev. A.82, 043425 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.82.043425., [463] C. M. Elliott. First Dysprosium MOT, Physics Illinois-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2017), Feb. 28; http://engineering.illinois.edu/news/article/2009-07-31-first-dysprosium-mot..
164Dy has a large neutron absorption cross section, so dysprosium is used for control rods [464] V. E. Ceron, J. G. Hirsch. Phys. Lett. B471, 1 (1999).. 161Dy has been a key isotope for studying the Mössbauer Effect, which is the resonance and absorption of gamma ray emissions on nearby atoms in a solid state [465] R. L. Cohen. Phys. Rev.137, 1809 (1965)..
Isotopes in Medicine
165Dy (with a half-life of 140 min) is commonly used in arthritis therapy (radiosynovectomy). Rheumatic inflammation of the membranes of joints is often treated by the injection of 165Dy-ferric oxide directly into the joint space of the knee. Leakage from the joint has been shown to be minimal [467] C. B. Sledge, J. D. Zuckerman, M. R. Zalutsky, R. W. Atcher, S. Shortkroff, D. R. Lionberger, H. A. Rose, B. J. Hurson, P. A. Lankenner, R. J. Anderson, W. A. Bloomer. Arthritis Rheum.29, 153 (1986)..
Isotopes Used as a Source of Radioactive Isotope(s)
164Dy is used to produce 166Dy (with a half-life of 3.4 days) via double neutron capture [468] D. Ma, A. R. Ketring, G. J. Ehrhardt, W. Jia. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem.206, 119 (1996)., [469] S. Mirzadeh, R. E. Schenter, A. P. Callahan, F. F. Knapp. Production Capabilities in U.S. Nuclear Reactors for Medical Radioisotopes, Tm-12010, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, Tenn (1992)., [470] S. Lahiri, K. J. Volkers, B. Wierczinski. Appl. Radiat. Isot.61, 1157 (2004).. 166Dy, which decays to 166Ho, is used in cancer and arthritis therapy [468] D. Ma, A. R. Ketring, G. J. Ehrhardt, W. Jia. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem.206, 119 (1996)., [471] G. Ferro-Flores, O. Hernandez-Oviedo, C. Arteaga de Murphy, J. I. Tendilla, F. Monroy-Guzman, M. Pedraza-Lopez, K. Aldama-Alvarado. Appl. Radiat. Isot.61, 1227 (2004)..
Dysprosium chemistry is dominated by the +3 oxidation state, represented by dysprosium(III) oxide, Dy₂O₃, dysprosium(III) chloride, DyCl₃, and many hydrated salts. The Dy³⁺ ion is strongly paramagnetic because of its 4f electrons, which are shielded enough to give sharp optical transitions in some host crystals. Dysprosium(II) compounds are uncommon and require strongly reducing conditions; +4 chemistry is not a normal feature of dysprosium. Many minerals contain dysprosium only as a minor component substituting for other heavy rare earth ions.
See more information at the Dysprosium compound page.
Dysprosium metal dust and filings can burn, and the metal reacts slowly with moisture to form hydrogen, H₂, and hydroxides or oxides. Soluble dysprosium salts should be handled as toxicologically uncertain rare-earth compounds rather than as harmless materials; ingestion or inhalation of dust is undesirable. Natural dysprosium is not significantly radioactive, but activated dysprosium isotopes can present radiation hazards in nuclear settings.
Dysprosium occurs dispersed in minerals such as xenotime and ion-adsorption clays, where it substitutes for other trivalent rare earth elements. Weathering and processing can mobilize rare-earth ions, but dysprosium generally has low solubility in neutral to alkaline waters because it forms insoluble phosphates, carbonates, and hydroxides. It has no known biological function. Environmental concern is usually tied to mining, acid leaching, and waste management rather than to natural background concentrations.
Dysprosium is produced as a separated rare earth from mixed ores and concentrates, not from dedicated dysprosium minerals. The main industrial challenge is separation from chemically similar lanthanides by solvent extraction or ion-exchange processes. Demand is strongly linked to high-temperature permanent magnets, while supply is limited by the availability of heavy rare-earth feedstocks. Recycling from magnets is technically possible and increasingly important, but collection, separation, and alloy complexity limit recovery. Substitution strategies include reducing dysprosium content, using grain-boundary diffusion, or redesigning motors to need less coercivity.
Usually found with erbium, holmium and other rare earths in some minerals such as monazite sand, which is often 50% rare earth by weight.
Dysprosium is a rare cosmic element. Its stable isotopes are produced mainly by slow and rapid neutron-capture processes in evolved stars and explosive stellar environments, then incorporated into interstellar dust and later planetary materials. In the Solar System it is concentrated with other refractory rare earths in silicate and phosphate phases rather than in metallic cores or volatile reservoirs.
- The name dysprosium comes from a Greek word meaning “hard to get at,” reflecting its difficult separation from other lan
- Dysprosium has one of the highest thermal-neutron absorption cross sections among stable elements.
- A small dysprosium addition can greatly raise the coercivity of Nd₂Fe₁₄B-based magnets.
- The isotope ¹⁶⁴Dy is the most abundant naturally occurring dysprosium isotope.
- Dysprosium metal can be cut with ordinary tools, but fresh surfaces tarnish readily.
Imágenes
Propiedades
Físicas
- Radio atómico (empírico)
- 175 pm Comparar Radio atómico (empírico) de todos los elementos →
- Radio covalente
- 192 pm Comparar Radio covalente de todos los elementos →
- Radio de van der Waals
- 229 pm Comparar Radio de van der Waals de todos los elementos →
- Densidad
- 8550 kg/m³ Comparar Densidad de todos los elementos →
- Volumen molar
- 0,019 L/mol
- Fase en CNPT
- Sólido Comparar Fase en CNPT de todos los elementos →
- Punto de fusión
- 1411,85 °C Comparar Punto de fusión de todos los elementos →
- Punto de ebullición
- 2566,85 °C Comparar Punto de ebullición de todos los elementos →
- Conductividad térmica
- 10,7 W/(m·K) Comparar Conductividad térmica de todos los elementos →
- Capacidad calorífica específica
- 0,173 J/(g·K) Comparar Capacidad calorífica específica de todos los elementos →
- Capacidad calorífica molar
- 28,16 J/(mol·K) Comparar Capacidad calorífica molar de todos los elementos →
- Estructura cristalina
- Hexagonal compacta Comparar Estructura cristalina de todos los elementos →
Químicas
- Electronegatividad (Pauling)
- 1,22 Comparar Electronegatividad (Pauling) de todos los elementos →
- Afinidad electrónica
- 0,352 eV
- Energía de ionización (1.ª)
- 5,939061 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (1.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (2.ª)
- 11,64704 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (2.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (3.ª)
- 22,890079 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (3.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (4.ª)
- 41,230142 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (4.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (5.ª)
- 62,100214 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (5.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Estados de oxidación
- 0, +1, +2, +3, +4 Comparar Estados de oxidación de todos los elementos →
- Electrones de valencia
- 3 Comparar Electrones de valencia de todos los elementos →
- Configuración electrónica
- [Xe] 6s2 4f10
Termodinámicas
- Calor de fusión
- 0,11504379 eV Comparar Calor de fusión de todos los elementos →
- Calor de vaporización
- 2,38379 eV Comparar Calor de vaporización de todos los elementos →
- Calor de sublimación
- 3,016013 eV
- Calor de atomización
- 3,016013 eV
- Entalpía de atomización
- 3,009794 eV
Nucleares
- Protones
- 66 Comparar Protones de todos los elementos →
- Neutrones
- 98 Comparar Neutrones de todos los elementos →
- Isótopos conocidos
- 39 Comparar Isótopos conocidos de todos los elementos →
- Isótopos estables
- 6 Comparar Isótopos estables de todos los elementos →
- Isótopo más estable
- Dy-164
- Año de descubrimiento
- 1878
Abundancia
- Abundancia (corteza terrestre)
- 5,2 mg/kg Comparar Abundancia (corteza terrestre) de todos los elementos →
- Abundancia (océano)
- 9,1 × 10−7 mg/L Comparar Abundancia (océano) de todos los elementos →
Estructura cristalina
- Constante de red a
- 359 pm
Estructura electrónica
- Electrones por capa
- 2, 8, 18, 28, 8, 2 Comparar Electrones por capa de todos los elementos →
Identificadores
- Número CAS
- 7429-91-6 Comparar Número CAS de todos los elementos →
- Símbolo del término
- 5I8
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Dy
- Clave InChI
- KBQHZAAAGSGFKK-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Configuración electrónica Medido
Dy: 4f¹⁰ 6s²[Xe] 4f¹⁰ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹⁰ 6s²Modelo atómico
Los isótopos cambian el número de neutrones, la masa y la estabilidad, pero no la configuración electrónica de un átomo neutro.
Modelo atómico esquemático, no a escala.
Huella atómica
Espectro de emisión / absorción
Distribución isotópica
| Número másico | Masa atómica (u) | Abundancia natural | Periodo de semidesintegración |
|---|---|---|---|
| 158 Estable | 157,9244159 ± 0,0000031 | 0,0950% | Estable |
| 160 Estable | 159,9252046 ± 0,000002 | 2,3290% | Estable |
| 161 Estable | 160,9269405 ± 0,000002 | 18,8890% | Estable |
| 162 Estable | 161,9268056 ± 0,000002 | 25,4750% | Estable |
| 163 Estable | 162,9287383 ± 0,000002 | 24,8960% | Estable |
| 164 Estable | 163,9291819 ± 0,000002 | 28,2600% | Estable |
Fase / Estado
Motivo: 1386,8 °C por debajo del punto de fusión (1411,85 °C)
Esquemático, no a escala
Puntos de transición de fase
Energías de transición
Energía necesaria para fundir 1 mol en el punto de fusión
Energía necesaria para vaporizar 1 mol en el punto de ebullición
Energía necesaria para sublimar 1 mol en el punto de sublimación
Densidad
En condiciones estándar
En condiciones estándar
Espectros atómicos
Se muestran 10 de 66. Ordenado por carga del ion (ascendente).
Líneas disponibles ?
| Ion | Carga | Total de líneas | Probabilidades de transición | Designaciones de los niveles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dy I | 0 | 230 | 73 | 73 |
| Dy II | +1 | 421 | 17 | 17 |
Niveles disponibles ?
| Ion | Carga | Niveles |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Radios iónicos
| Carga | Coordinación | Espín | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | 6 | N/D | 107 pm |
| +2 | 7 | N/D | 112.99999999999999 pm |
| +2 | 8 | N/D | 119 pm |
| +3 | 6 | N/D | 91.2 pm |
| +3 | 7 | N/D | 97 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/D | 102.69999999999999 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/D | 108.3 pm |
Compuestos
Isótopos (6)
| Número másico | Masa atómica (u) | Abundancia natural | Periodo de semidesintegración | Modo de desintegración | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158 Estable | 157,9244159 ± 0,0000031 | 0,0950% ± 0,0030% | Estable | stable | |
| 160 Estable | 159,9252046 ± 0,000002 | 2,3290% ± 0,0180% | Estable | stable | |
| 161 Estable | 160,9269405 ± 0,000002 | 18,8890% ± 0,0420% | Estable | stable | |
| 162 Estable | 161,9268056 ± 0,000002 | 25,4750% ± 0,0360% | Estable | stable | |
| 163 Estable | 162,9287383 ± 0,000002 | 24,8960% ± 0,0420% | Estable | stable | |
| 164 Estable | 163,9291819 ± 0,000002 | 28,2600% ± 0,0540% | Estable | stable |
Propiedades ampliadas
Radios covalentes (ampliados)
- Radio covalente (Pyykkö)
- 167 pm
- Radio covalente (Pyykkö, enlace doble)
- 133 pm
Radios de van der Waals
- Alvarez
- 287 pm
- UFF
- 342,8 pm
- MM3
- 290 pm
Radios atómicos y metálicos
- Radio atómico (Rahm)
- 275 pm
Escalas de numeración
- Mendeleev
- 31
- Pettifor
- 25
- Glawe
- 24
Escalas de electronegatividad
- Ghosh
- 0
- Miedema
- 3
- Gunnarsson–Lundqvist
- 5
- Robles–Bartolotti
- 4
Polarizabilidad y dispersión
- Polarizabilidad dipolar
- 163 a.u.
- Polarizabilidad dipolar (incert.)
- 15 a.u.
- C₆ (Gould–Bučko)
- 2430 Ha·Bohr6
Parámetros de Miedema
- Volumen molar de Miedema
- 19 cm3/mol
- Densidad electrónica de Miedema
- 2
Riesgo de suministro y economía
- Concentración de la producción
- 97
- Riesgo relativo de suministro
- 10
- Distribución de las reservas
- 50
- Estabilidad política (principal productor)
- 24
- Estabilidad política (país con mayores reservas)
- 24
Transiciones de fase y alótropos
| Punto de fusión | 1685,15 K |
| Punto de ebullición | 2840,15 K |
Categorías de estados de oxidación
Datos de referencia avanzados
Constantes de apantallamiento (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 |
Detalle de los radios cristalinos (7)
| Carga | CN | Espín | rcrystal (pm) | Origen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, |
Modos de desintegración de los isótopos (56)
| Isótopo | Modo | Intensidad |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Factores de dispersión de rayos X (514)
| Energía (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 |
Datos adicionales
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
5.2 milligrams per kilogram
Referencias (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
Referencias (1)
- [5] Dysprosium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele066.html
Referencias
(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.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/
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.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Dysprosium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.

