
Gadolinium element (Gd) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Gadolinium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to gadolinium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Gadolinium element (Information Table)
- Gadolinium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Gadolinium
- Properties of Gadolinium
- Uses of Gadolinium
Gadolinium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to gadolinium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of gadolinium | Silvery white appearance |
Atomic number of gadolinium | 64 |
Symbol of gadolinium | Gd |
Atomic mass of gadolinium | 157.25 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in gadolinium | Protons: 64, Neutrons: 93, Electrons: 64 |
State of gadolinium (at STP) | Solid |
Period number of gadolinium in periodic table | 6 |
Block of gadolinium in periodic table | f-block |
Category of gadolinium | Inner transition metals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in gadolinium | 2, 8, 18, 25, 9, 2 |
Electron configuration of gadolinium | [Xe] 4f7 5d1 6s2 |
Orbital diagram of gadolinium | ![]() |
Electronegativity of gadolinium (on pauling scale) | 1.2 |
Atomic radius of gadolinium (van der Waals radius) | 237 picometers |
Density of gadolinium | 7.9 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of gadolinium | 6.150 eV |
Main isotope of gadolinium | 158Gd |
Melting point of gadolinium | 1585 K or 1312 °C or 2394 °F |
Boiling point of gadolinium | 3273 K or 3000 °C or 5432 °F |
Crystal structure of gadolinium | Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP) |
Discovery of gadolinium | By Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac in 1880 |
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).
Gadolinium element in Periodic table
The Gadolinium element (Gd) has the atomic number 64 and is located in period 6. Gadolinium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about gadolinium
Here are a few interesting facts about the gadolinium element.
- The earth’s crust contains 5.2 ppm (by weight) of gadolinium.
- Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac discovered gadolinium in the year 1880.
- Gadolinium metal is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
- Gadolinium has the greatest ability to absorb the neutrons than any other elements on the periodic table.
- Gadolinite is the main ore of gadolinium that is found from the earth’s crust.
Properties of gadolinium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of gadolinium.
Physical properties of gadolinium
- Gadolinium has a silvery white metallic appearance.
- Gadolinium has HCP crystal structure at room temperature.
- There are many isotopes of gadolinium and out of these isotopes, the most abundant isotope is 158Gd.
- The melting point and boiling point of gadolinium is 1585 K and 3273 K respectively.
Chemical properties of gadolinium
- Gadolinium is a reactive metal and hence it always exists as a compound with other elements in the earth’s crust.
- Gadolinium is easily soluble in dilute acids.
- Gadolinium reacts with the oxygen of the atmosphere and it starts tarnishing.
- Gadolinium also reacts with water.
- The most common oxidation state of gadolinium is +3.
Uses of gadolinium
Here are some uses of the gadolinium element.
- Gadolinium is present in some proportions in the color TV picture tubes.
- Some compounds of gadolinium are also used in microwave applications.
- Gadolinium is also used as a neutron absorber in nuclear power plants.
- The workability of iron and chromium can be improved by adding gadolinium to them.
Article by;