Neodymium (Nd) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

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

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

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

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

Neodymium Element (Information Table)

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

Appearance of neodymium	Silvery white appearance
Atomic number of neodymium	60
Symbol of neodymium	Nd
Atomic mass of neodymium	144.24 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in neodymium	Protons: 60, Neutrons: 84, Electrons: 60
State of neodymium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of neodymium in periodic table	6
Block of neodymium in periodic table	f-block
Category of neodymium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in neodymium	2, 8, 18, 22, 8, 2
Electron configuration of neodymium	[Xe] 4f4 6s2
Orbital diagram of neodymium
Electronegativity of neodymium (on pauling scale)	1.14
Atomic radius of neodymium (van der Waals radius)	229 picometers
Density of neodymium	7.01 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of neodymium	5.525 eV
Main isotope of neodymium	142Nd
Melting point of neodymium	1297 K or 1024 °C or 1875 °F
Boiling point of neodymium	3347 K or 3074 °C or 5565 °F
Crystal structure of neodymium	Double Hexagonal Close Packing (DHCP)
Discovery of neodymium	By Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1885

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).

Neodymium element in Periodic table

The Neodymium element (Nd) has the atomic number 60 and is located in period 6. Neodymium 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 neodymium

Here are a few interesting facts about neodymium element.

1. Neodymium was given its name from the two Greek words “neos” and “dymium”.
2. The concentration of neodymium in the earth’s crust is 33 ppm.
3. Neodymium is the 2^nd most abundant rare earth metal on the periodic table.
4. Neodymium metal is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
5. Carl Auer von Welsbach discovered neodymium in the year 1885.

Properties of neodymium

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

Physical properties of neodymium

• Neodymium has a silvery-gray metallic appearance.
• The crystal structure of neodymium is HCP.
• There are many isotopes of neodymium, and out of these isotopes the most abundant isotope is ¹⁴²Nd.
• The density of neodymium is 7.01 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 144.24 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of neodymium is 1297 K and 3347 K respectively.

Chemical properties of neodymium

• Neodymium is reactive metal and hence it is always found in other compounds from the earth’s crust.
• The neodymium easily reacts with the oxygen of the atmosphere.
• Neodymium is kept under kerosene or a mineral oil to prevent its reaction with the atmospheric oxygen.
• Neodymium has an electronegativity of 1.14 on the pauling scale.

Uses of neodymium

Here are some uses of the neodymium element.

• Neodymium is used in the manufacturing of colored glasses.
• Nd:YAG lasers use a crystal of neodymium.
• The coloring agents used in enamels also have neodymium in it.
• Neodymium is also used in making strong magnets. The neodymium magnets are made by alloying neodymium, iron and boron.

External resources:

1. Bizimis, M., & Scher, H. D. (2016, January 1). Neodymium Isotopes. Neodymium Isotopes | SpringerLink. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_124-1
2. Neodymium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Neodymium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/60/neodymium
3. Possolo, et al. (2018, January 4). Interpreting and propagating the uncertainty of the standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(2), 395–424. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-0402
4. Emsley, J. (2011). Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
5. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
6. Electronic structure of the elements. (2000, March). The European Physical Journal C, 15(1–4), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02683401
7. James A. M. & Lord M. P. (1992). Macmillan’s chemical and physical data. Macmillan.
8. Bedford, et al. (1996, April 1). Recommended values of temperature on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 for a selected set of secondary reference points. Metrologia, 33(2), 133–154. https://doi.org/10.1088/0026-1394/33/2/3
9. 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
10. Neodymium – Wikipedia. (2012, August 16). Neodymium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium
11. Neodymium – American Chemical Society. (n.d.). American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/greenchemistry/research-innovation/endangered-elements/neodymium.html
12. P. (n.d.). Neodymium | Nd (Element) – PubChem. Neodymium | Nd (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Neodymium
13. It’s Elemental – The Element Neodymium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Neodymium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele060.html
14. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/60.shtml