Praseodymium – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

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praseodymium element periodic table

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

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

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

Praseodymium Element (Information Table)

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

Appearance of praseodymiumGray white metallic appearance
Atomic number of praseodymium59
Symbol of praseodymiumPr
Atomic mass of praseodymium140.907 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in praseodymiumProtons: 59, Neutrons: 82, Electrons: 59
State of praseodymium (at STP)Solid
Period number of praseodymium in periodic table6
Block of praseodymium in periodic tablef-block
Category of praseodymiumInner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in praseodymium2, 8, 18, 21, 8, 2
Electron configuration of praseodymium[Xe] 4f3 6s2
Orbital diagram of praseodymiumorbital diagram of praseodymium
Electronegativity of praseodymium (on pauling scale)1.13
Atomic radius of praseodymium (van der Waals radius)239 picometers
Density of praseodymium6.64 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of praseodymium5.464 eV
Main isotope of praseodymium141Pr
Melting point of praseodymium1208 K or 935 °C or 1715 °F
Boiling point of praseodymium3403 K or 3130 °C or 5666 °F
Crystal structure of praseodymiumDouble Hexagonal Close Packing (DHCP)
Discovery of praseodymiumBy 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).

Praseodymium element in Periodic table

The Praseodymium element (Pr) has the atomic number 59 and is located in period 6. Praseodymium 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 praseodymium

Here are a few interesting facts about the praseodymium element.

  1. Praseodymium was given its name from the two Greek words “prasios” (meaning green) and “didymos” (meaning twin).
  2. The earth’s crust contains around 8.7 ppm (by weight) of praseodymium.
  3. Praseodymium metal is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
  4. Carl Auer von Welsbach discovered praseodymium in 1885.

Properties of praseodymium

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

Physical properties of praseodymium

  • Praseodymium has a silvery gray metallic appearance.
  • Praseodymium is a ductile as well as malleable metal, that means it can be drawn into thin wires and sheets.
  • The density of praseodymium is 6.64 g/cm3 and its atomic mass is 140.907  amu.
  • There are many isotopes of praseodymium, and out of these isotopes, the most abundant isotope is 141Pr.
  • The melting point and boiling point of praseodymium is 1208 K and 3403 K respectively.

Chemical properties of praseodymium

  • Praseodymium is a reactive metal and because of this it is always found with other compounds in the earth’s crust.
  • Praseodymium is usually kept in the kerosene  to prevent its reaction with atmospheric oxygen.
  • Praseodymium shows many oxidation states like +2, +3, +4 and +5, but the +3 oxidation state is most common.
  • Praseodymium forms a green oxide layer when kept open in the air.

Uses of praseodymium

Here are some uses of the praseodymium element.

  • Praseodymium is alloyed with magnesium to get a string alloy which is used in aircraft engines.
  • Praseodymium is used in fiber optic cables to amplify the signals.
  • Praseodymium is used in carbon arc lighting that is used in studio lighting.
  • Praseodymium is also used in the alloy that is used in cigarette lighters.

External resources:

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Praseodymium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Praseodymium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/59/praseodymium
  6. Praseodymium – Wikipedia. (2009, August 8). Praseodymium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praseodymium
  7. It’s Elemental – The Element Praseodymium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Praseodymium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele059.html
  8. P. (n.d.). Praseodymium | Pr (Element) – PubChem. Praseodymium | Pr (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Praseodymium
  9. Atomic Data for Praseodymium (Pr). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Praseodymium (Pr). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/praseodymiumtable1.htm
  10. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/59.shtml
  11. 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
  12. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
  13. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
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Jay Rana

Jay is an educator and has helped more than 100,000 students in their studies by providing simple and easy explanations on different science-related topics. With a desire to make learning accessible for everyone, he founded Knords Learning, an online chemistry learning platform that provides students with easily understandable explanations.

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