Dysprosium (Dy)

Stable isotopes of dysprosium available from ISOFLEX

Request a Quote

Dysprosium was discovered in 1886 by Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. Its name originates with the Greek word dysprositos, meaning “hard to obtain.”

Dysprosium is a silvery, noncorrosive metal with hexagonal crystals; the metal is soft enough to be cut with a knife, and it can be machined without sparking, if overheating is avoided. Dysprosium does not react with moist air to form hydroxide. It reacts slowly with water and halogen gases and is soluble in dilute acids. At ordinary temperatures, it is relatively stable in air; however, when heated with oxygen, it forms dysprosium sesquioxide. With halogens, it reacts slowly at room temperature, forming dysprosium trihalides. It combines with several nonmetals at high temperatures, forming binary compounds with varying compositions. It dissolves in most mineral acids, with the evolution of hydrogen.

Commercial applications of dysprosium include laser materials and commercial lighting; neutron-absorbing control rods in nuclear reactors; data storage applications such as hard disks; magnets for use in hybrid electric vehicle motors; use in dosimeters for measuring ionizing radiation; and metal-halide lamps.

In addition to being an explosion hazard (sparking fires that cannot be extinguished with water), dysprosium has low acute toxicity. Its soluble salts exhibit low toxicity in experimental animals when administered by intravenous route, with effects including degeneration of the liver and spleen.

Properties of Dysprosium

Research

• Hyperfine structure and isotope shifts in Dy II