Holmium (Ho) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

holmium element periodic table

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

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

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

Holmium Element (Information Table)

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

Appearance of holmiumSilvery white appearance
Atomic number of holmium67
Symbol of holmiumHo
Atomic mass of holmium164.93 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in holmiumProtons: 67, Neutrons: 98, Electrons: 67
State of holmium (at STP)Solid
Period number of holmium in periodic table6
Block of holmium in periodic tablef-block
Category of holmiumInner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in holmium2, 8, 18, 29, 8, 2
Electron configuration of holmium[Xe] 4f11 6s2
Orbital diagram of holmiumorbital diagram of holmium
Electronegativity of holmium (on pauling scale)1.23
Atomic radius of holmium (van der Waals radius)216 picometers
Density of holmium8.8 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of holmium6.022 eV
Main isotope of holmium165Ho
Melting point of holmium1734 K or 1461 °C or 2662 °F
Boiling point of holmium2873 K or 2600 °C or 4712 °F
Crystal structure of holmiumHexagonal Close Packing (HCP)
Discovery of holmiumBy Marc Delafontaine and Jacques Louis Soret (in 1878)

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).

Holmium element in Periodic table

The Holmium element (Ho) has the atomic number 67 and is located in period 6. Holmium 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 holmium

Here are a few interesting facts about the holmium element.

  1. The name Holmium came from the Greek word “Holmia”, which means stockholm.
  2. China, USA, Sri Lanka, India and Brazil are the major producers of holmium.
  3. Holmium is the 56th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
  4. The concentration of holmium in the earth’s crust is around 1.2 ppm by weight.
  5. Marc Delafontaine and Jacques Louis Soret are the two scientists who discovered holmium in the year 1878.

Properties of holmium

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

Physical properties of holmium

  • Holmium has a silvery white metallic appearance.
  • Holmium has HCP crystal structure.
  • The density of holmium is 8.8 g/cm3 and its atomic mass is 164.93 amu.
  • Holmium has many isotopes and the most abundant isotope is 165Ho.
  • The melting point and boiling point of holmium is 1734 K and 2873 K respectively.

Chemical properties of holmium

  • Holmium is a reactive metal and it is always found with other compounds from the earth’s crust.
  • The most common oxidation state of holmium is 3+.
  • Holmium tarnishes when it is kept open in the moist air, and it forms holmium oxide.

Uses of holmium

Here are some uses of the holmium element.

  • Holmium is used as an alloying element with other metals to prepare magnets.
  • Holmium oxide is used in the manufacturing of yellow colored glass.
  • Holmium is used in solid state lasers and also in treating kidney stones and cancer.

External resources:

  1. Holmium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Holmium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/67/holmium
  2. P. (n.d.). Holmium | Ho (Element) – PubChem. Holmium | Ho (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Holmium
  3. Holmium – Wikipedia. (2019, December 30). Holmium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmium
  4. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
  5. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
  6. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
  7. It’s Elemental – The Element Holmium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Holmium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele067.html
  8. Atomic Data for Holmium (Ho). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Holmium (Ho). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/holmiumtable1.htm
  9. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/67.shtml
  10. Atomic Weight of Holmium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Holmium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/holmium.htm
  11. Holmium | Ho | ChemSpider. (n.d.). Holmium | Ho | ChemSpider. http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.22424.html?rid=09a1ce25-aafc-4812-ab99-495beb906607
  12. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
  13. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
  14. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
  15. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
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