Neodymium (Nd)
lanthanideSolid
Peso atomico standard
144,242 uConfigurazione elettronica
[Xe] 6s2 4f4Punto di fusione
1020,85 °CPunto di ebollizione
3073,85 °CDensità
7010 kg/m³Stati di ossidazione
0, +2, +3, +4Elettronegatività (Pauling)
1,14Energia di ionizzazione (1ª)
5,52475 eVAnno della scoperta
1841Raggio atomico
185 pmDettagli
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.
Pure neodymium is a bright, silvery metal when freshly cut, but it tarnishes in air as an oxide layer forms. It is relatively soft and can be cut with a knife. The metal slowly reacts with moisture and oxidizes more rapidly when finely divided or heated.
The largest use of neodymium is in neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets, commonly based on the Nd₂Fe₁₄B phase. These magnets are used in electric motors, generators, hard-disk drives, loudspeakers, sensors, and magnetic couplings. Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet, Nd:Y₃Al₅O₁₂, is a major solid-state laser material. Neodymium compounds are also used to color and filter glass, including didymium-type eyewear for glassworking.
Neodymium makes up about 18% of Misch metal, a material that is used to make flints for lighters. Neodymium is also a component of didymium glass, which is used to make certain types of welder's and glass blower's goggles. Neodymium is added to glass to remove the green color caused by iron contaminants. It can also be added to glass to create violet, red or gray colors. Some types of glass containing neodymium are used by astronomers to calibrate devices called spectrometers and other types are used to create artificial rubies for lasers. Some neodymium salts are used to color enamels and glazes.
Didymium, of which neodymium is a component, is used for coloring glass to make welders goggles. By itself, neodymium colors glass delicate shades ranging from pure violet through wine-red and warm gray. Light transmitted through such glass shows unusually sharp absorption bands. The glass has been used in astronomical work to produce sharp bands by which spectral lines may be calibrated. Glass containing neodymium can be used as a laser material to produce coherent light. Neodymium salts are also used as a colorant for enamels.
Isotopes in Geochronology
143Nd is a radiogenic isotope produced by decay of 147Sm, with a half-life of 1.06×1011 years. Thus, the isotope-amount ratio n(143Nd)/n(144Nd) can be used for dating rocks on long time scales and as a chemical tracer in geochemistry (Fig. IUPAC.60.1) [427] M. T. McCullocha, M. R. Perfita. Earth. Planet. Sci. Lett.56, 167 (1981)., [428] R. Eichhorn, R. Höll, E. Jagoutz, U. Schärer. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta61, 5005 (1997).. The very small accumulation of 142Nd in billion-year-old metamorphosed rocks from Greenland [from the relatively short-lived (about 68×106 years) alpha decay of 146Sm] provided evidence that the crust of the Earth formed before the young planet was more than 100×106 years old. This is because only a short amount of time could have elapse to incorporate the 146Sm parent radionuclide into the ancient Greenland minerals before it decayed [429] M. G. Jackson, S. R. Hart, A. A. P. Koppers, H. Staudigel, J. Konter, J. Blusztajn, M. Kurz, J. A. Russell. Nature448, 684 (2007)., [430] G. Caro, B. Bourdon, J. L. Birck, S. Moorbath. Nature423, 428 (2003)..
Isotopes Used as a Source of Radioactive Isotope(s)
146Nd has been used in the production of 147Pm (with a half-life of 2.6 years), via the reaction 146Nd (n, γ) 147Nd, which is followed by a subsequent electron decay reaction, 147Nd→ 147Pm+β - reaction. 147Pm is a radioactive power-generation source [431] C. S. Lee, Y. M. Wang, W. L. Cheng, G. Ting. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem.130, 21 (1988)..
Neodymium most commonly forms compounds in the +3 oxidation state, and Nd³⁺ salts are typically pale pink, rose, lavender, or violet depending on ligand and hydration. Important compounds include neodymium(III) oxide, Nd₂O₃, neodymium(III) chloride, NdCl₃, and neodymium(III) fluoride, NdF₃. The oxide is a common intermediate in separation and materials production. Divalent neodymium is known in some solid-state compounds, but it is much less stable and far less common than Nd³⁺ chemistry.
See more information at the Neodymium compound page.
Bulk neodymium metal has low acute toxicity but is reactive as a fine powder and can present a fire hazard. Dusts and soluble salts should be handled as industrial chemical hazards because rare-earth compounds can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Strong neodymium magnets create mechanical hazards: they can pinch skin, shatter on impact, damage magnetic media, and interfere with some implanted medical devices.
Neodymium has a low-to-moderate acute toxic rating. As with other rare earths, neodymium should be handled with care.
Neodymium is widely dispersed in the crust, mainly in rare-earth minerals such as monazite and bastnäsite. In natural waters it is present at very low concentrations and tends to bind to particles, phosphates, carbonates, and organic matter rather than remain as a free ion. Mining and processing can disturb soils and generate waste streams containing other rare earths, thorium, uranium, acids, or salts, depending on the ore and process.
Neodymium is produced by mining rare-earth ores, separating mixed lanthanides through solvent extraction or ion-exchange processes, and reducing suitable halides or oxides to metal when needed. Demand is strongly tied to Nd-Fe-B magnets, often with praseodymium partly substituting for neodymium and dysprosium or terbium added for high-temperature performance. Supply is constrained by the difficulty of separating similar lanthanides and by the environmental controls needed for ore processing. Recycling from magnets is technically possible and increasing, but collection and separation remain limiting factors.
Made from electrolysis of its halide salts, which are made from monazite sand.
Neodymium is produced mainly by neutron-capture nucleosynthesis in evolved stars and stellar explosions, with contributions from both slow and rapid neutron-capture processes. It is less abundant than lighter elements but is a normal trace constituent of the Solar System. Meteorites and planetary rocks contain neodymium in rare-earth patterns useful for geochemical and isotopic studies.
- The name neodymium means “new twin,” reflecting its separation from didymium.
- Natural neodymium consists of several stable isotopes and very long-lived radioactive ¹⁴⁴Nd and ¹⁵⁰Nd.
- Neodymium glass can appear different colors under different lighting because of sharp f-electron absorption bands.
- Nd-Fe-B magnets are usually coated because the alloy corrodes readily.
- Samarium-cobalt magnets tolerate heat better, but Nd-Fe-B magnets usually provide stronger fields for their size.
Immagini
Proprietà
Fisiche
- Raggio atomico (empirico)
- 185 pm Confronta Raggio atomico (empirico) di tutti gli elementi →
- Raggio covalente
- 201 pm Confronta Raggio covalente di tutti gli elementi →
- Raggio di van der Waals
- 229 pm Confronta Raggio di van der Waals di tutti gli elementi →
- Densità
- 7010 kg/m³ Confronta Densità di tutti gli elementi →
- Volume molare
- 0,0206 L/mol
- Fase in condizioni STP
- Solido Confronta Fase in condizioni STP di tutti gli elementi →
- Punto di fusione
- 1020,85 °C Confronta Punto di fusione di tutti gli elementi →
- Punto di ebollizione
- 3073,85 °C Confronta Punto di ebollizione di tutti gli elementi →
- Capacità termica specifica
- 0,19 J/(g·K) Confronta Capacità termica specifica di tutti gli elementi →
- Capacità termica molare
- 27,45 J/(mol·K) Confronta Capacità termica molare di tutti gli elementi →
- Struttura cristallina
- Esagonale compatta Confronta Struttura cristallina di tutti gli elementi →
Chimiche
- Elettronegatività (Pauling)
- 1,14 Confronta Elettronegatività (Pauling) di tutti gli elementi →
- Affinità elettronica
- 1,913 eV
- Energia di ionizzazione (1ª)
- 5,52475 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (1ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (2ª)
- 10,783037 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (2ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (3ª)
- 22,090076 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (3ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (4ª)
- 40,60014 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (4ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (5ª)
- 60,000207 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (5ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Stati di ossidazione
- 0, +2, +3, +4 Confronta Stati di ossidazione di tutti gli elementi →
- Elettroni di valenza
- 3 Confronta Elettroni di valenza di tutti gli elementi →
- Configurazione elettronica
- [Xe] 6s2 4f4
Termodinamiche
- Calore di fusione
- 0,07400114 eV Confronta Calore di fusione di tutti gli elementi →
- Calore di vaporizzazione
- 2,829455 eV Confronta Calore di vaporizzazione di tutti gli elementi →
- Calore di sublimazione
- 2,995284 eV
- Calore di atomizzazione
- 2,995284 eV
- Entalpia di atomizzazione
- 3,388091 eV
Nucleari
- Protoni
- 60 Confronta Protoni di tutti gli elementi →
- Neutroni
- 82 Confronta Neutroni di tutti gli elementi →
- Isotopi noti
- 40 Confronta Isotopi noti di tutti gli elementi →
- Isotopi stabili
- 1 Confronta Isotopi stabili di tutti gli elementi →
- Isotopo più stabile
- Nd-142
- Anno della scoperta
- 1841
Abbondanza
- Abbondanza (crosta terrestre)
- 41,5 mg/kg Confronta Abbondanza (crosta terrestre) di tutti gli elementi →
- Abbondanza (oceano)
- 2,8 × 10−6 mg/L Confronta Abbondanza (oceano) di tutti gli elementi →
Struttura cristallina
- Costante reticolare a
- 366 pm
Struttura elettronica
- Elettroni per guscio
- 2, 8, 18, 22, 8, 2 Confronta Elettroni per guscio di tutti gli elementi →
Identificativi
- Numero CAS
- 7440-00-8 Confronta Numero CAS di tutti gli elementi →
- Simbolo di termine
- 5I4
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Nd
- Chiave InChI
- QEFYFXOXNSNQGX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Configurazione elettronica Misurato
Nd: 4f⁴ 6s²[Xe] 4f⁴ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f⁴ 6s²Modello atomico
Gli isotopi modificano il numero di neutroni, la massa e la stabilità — non la configurazione elettronica di un atomo neutro.
Modello atomico schematico, non in scala.
Impronta atomica
Spettro di emissione / assorbimento
Distribuzione isotopica
| Numero di massa | Massa atomica (u) | Abbondanza naturale | Emivita |
|---|---|---|---|
| 142 Stabile | 141,907729 ± 0,000002 | 27,1520% | Stabile |
Fase / Stato
Motivo: 995,9 °C sotto il punto di fusione (1020,85 °C)
Schema non in scala
Punti di transizione di fase
Energie di transizione
Energia necessaria per fondere 1 mol al punto di fusione
Energia necessaria per vaporizzare 1 mol al punto di ebollizione
Energia necessaria per sublimare 1 mol al punto di sublimazione
Densità
In condizioni standard
In condizioni standard
Spettri atomici
Sono visualizzati 10 di 60. Ordinamento per carica ionica crescente.
Righe disponibili ?
| Ione | Carica | Righe totali | Probabilità di transizione | Designazioni dei livelli |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nd I | 0 | 118 | 9 | 9 |
| Nd II | +1 | 617 | 255 | 600 |
Livelli disponibili ?
| Ione | Carica | Livelli |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Raggi ionici
| Carica | Coordinazione | Spin | Raggio |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | 8 | N/D | 129 pm |
| +2 | 9 | N/D | 135 pm |
| +3 | 6 | N/D | 98.3 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/D | 110.9 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/D | 116.3 pm |
| +3 | 12 | N/D | 127 pm |
Composti
Isotopi (1)
Natural neodymium is a mixture of seven stable isotopes. Fourteen other radioactive isotopes are recognized.
| Numero di massa | Massa atomica (u) | Abbondanza naturale | Emivita | Modalità di decadimento | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 Stabile | 141,907729 ± 0,000002 | 27,1520% ± 0,0400% | Stabile | stable |
Proprietà estese
Raggi covalenti (dati estesi)
- Raggio covalente (Pyykkö)
- 174 pm
- Raggio covalente (Pyykkö, legame doppio)
- 137 pm
Raggi di van der Waals
- Alvarez
- 295 pm
- UFF
- 357,5 pm
- MM3
- 273 pm
Raggi atomici e metallici
- Raggio atomico (Rahm)
- 284 pm
Scale di numerazione
- Mendeleev
- 19
- Pettifor
- 30
- Glawe
- 29
Scale di elettronegatività
- Ghosh
- 0
- Miedema
- 3
- Gunnarsson–Lundqvist
- 5
- Robles–Bartolotti
- 4
Polarizzabilità e dispersione
- Polarizzabilità dipolare
- 208 a.u.
- Polarizzabilità dipolare (inc.)
- 20 a.u.
- C₆ (Gould–Bučko)
- 3560 Ha·Bohr6
Parametri di Miedema
- Volume molare di Miedema
- 20,58 cm3/mol
- Densità elettronica di Miedema
- 2
Rischio di approvvigionamento ed economia
- Concentrazione della produzione
- 97
- Rischio relativo di approvvigionamento
- 10
- Distribuzione delle riserve
- 50
- Stabilità politica (principale produttore)
- 24
- Stabilità politica (principale detentore di riserve)
- 24
Transizioni di fase e allotropi
| Punto di fusione | 1289,15 K |
| Punto di ebollizione | 3347,15 K |
Categorie degli stati di ossidazione
Dati di riferimento avanzati
Costanti di schermaggio (13)
| n | Orbitale | 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 |
Dettaglio dei raggi cristallini (6)
| Carica | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, |
Modalità di decadimento degli isotopi (52)
| Isotopo | Modalità | Intensità |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Fattori di diffusione dei raggi X (508)
| Energia (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 |
Dati aggiuntivi
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
4.15×101 milligrams per kilogram
Riferimenti (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
Riferimenti (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.
Riferimenti (1)
- [6] Neodymium https://periodic.lanl.gov/60.shtml
Riferimenti
(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 Neodymium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.

