Dysprosium (Dy) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Dysprosium element (Dy) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Dysprosium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to dysprosium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Dysprosium element (Information Table)
• Dysprosium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Dysprosium
• Properties of Dysprosium
• Uses of Dysprosium

Dysprosium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to dysprosium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of dysprosium	Gray white metallic appearance
Atomic number of dysprosium	66
Symbol of dysprosium	Dy
Atomic mass of dysprosium	162.50 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in dysprosium	Protons: 66, Neutrons: 97, Electrons: 66
State of dysprosium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of dysprosium in periodic table	6
Block of dysprosium in periodic table	f-block
Category of dysprosium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in dysprosium	2, 8, 18, 28, 8, 2
Electron configuration of dysprosium	[Xe] 4f10 6s2
Orbital diagram of dysprosium
Atomic radius of dysprosium (van der Waals radius)	229 picometers
Density of dysprosium	8.55 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of dysprosium	5.939 eV
Main isotope of dysprosium	164Dy
Melting point of dysprosium	1680 K or 1407 °C or 2565 °F
Boiling point of dysprosium	2840 K or 2562 °C or 4653 °F
Crystal structure of dysprosium	Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP)
Discovery of dysprosium	By Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1886

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Dysprosium element in Periodic table

The Dysprosium element (Dy) has the atomic number 66 and is located in period 6. Dysprosium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about dysprosium

Here are a few interesting facts about the dysprosium element.

1. Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered dysprosium in the year 1886.
2. The name dysprosium was given from the Greek word “dysprositos” (which means “difficult to get at”).
3. Dysprosium is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
4. The earth’s crust contains about 6 ppm (by weight) of dysprosium.
5. Monazite and bastnaesite are the most common minerals of dysprosium.

Properties of dysprosium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of dysprosium.

Physical properties of dysprosium

• Dysprosium has a gray white metallic appearance.
• Dysprosium is soft and it can be cut with a knife too.
• There are many isotopes of dysprosium, but out of those isotopes the most abundant is ¹⁶⁴Dy.
• The crystal structure of dysprosium is HCP.
• Dysprosium has a density of 8.55 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 162.50 amu.
• The melting point and boiling of dysprosium is 1680 K and 2840 K respectively.

Chemical properties of dysprosium

• Pure dysprosium starts tarnishing when it is kept open in the air.
• Dysprosium is a reactive element and it is always found with other compounds in the earth’s crust.
• Dysprosium has a most common oxidation state of +3.
• The electronic configuration of dysprosium is [Xe] 4f¹⁰ 6s², and it is a f-block element as the last electron enters the f-orbital.

Uses of dysprosium

Here are some uses of the dysprosium element.

• Dysprosium has a capacity to absorb the neutrons, hence it is used as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors.
• The alloy made by mixing dysprosium, terbium and iron is used in the sonar system.
• Dysprosium is also used in some devices like compact discs, hard drives, etc.

External resources:

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3. Allred, A. (1961, June). Electronegativity values from thermochemical data. Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, 17(3–4), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1902(61)80142-5
4. Dysprosium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Dysprosium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/66/dysprosium
5. Dysprosium – Wikipedia. (2009, May 3). Dysprosium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysprosium
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8. Dysprosium (Dy) | AMERICAN ELEMENTS ® (n.d.). American Elements: The Materials Science Company. https://www.americanelements.com/dy.html
9. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/66.shtml
10. Atomic Weight of Dysprosium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Dysprosium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/dysprosium.htm
11. Atomic Data for Dysprosium (Dy). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Dysprosium (Dy). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/dysprosiumtable1.htm
12. Dysprosium | Dy | ChemSpider. (n.d.). Dysprosium | Dy | ChemSpider. http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.22355.html?rid=0a3d5e4b-d11c-4b82-a33d-117e839ed1c6&page_num=0
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