What is Neodymium?
Neodymium is a metallic chemical element classified in the rare earth group of the periodic table. Despite the “rare” in its elemental group, neodymium is actually relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust, usually in compounds which form various minerals. It can also be found in some mixed metal ores, which are processed in various ways to yield separated metal products. Consumers are probably most familiar with neodymium in the form of extremely powerful magnets made from a neodymium alloy. In appearance, the element is silvery in color, and extremely bright. However, it oxidizes quickly, so it needs to be stored in mineral oil or other neutral conditions for the brilliant, shiny color to be retained. Neodymium also has a number of salts and isotopes which are used in various industrial applications; the appearance of these derivatives of the element vary. On the periodic table, neodymium is identified with the symbol Nd, and it has an atomic number of 60. It rarely appears in a pure
The symbol for Neodymium is Nd. More information can be found at www.webelements.com Neodymium was discovered In Austria 1885 when Carl F. Auer von Welsbach separated didymium, an extract of cerite, into two new elemental components, neodymia and praseodymia, by repeated fractionation of ammonium didymium nitrate. While the free metal is a component of misch metal, (a pyrophoric alloy for lighter flints), the element was not isolated in relatively pure form until 1925. The name Neodymium has its origins in the Greek word “Neos didymos” meaning “new twin”.
