Dysprosium (Dy)
Stable isotopes of dysprosium available from ISOFLEX
| Isotope | Z(p) | N(n) | Atomic Mass | Natural Abundance | Enrichment Level | Chemical Form |
| Dy-156 | 66 | 90 | 155.92428 | 0.06% | 18.00-20.70% | Oxide |
| Dy-158 | 66 | 92 | 157.924405 | 0.10% | 14.10-23.70% | Oxide |
| Dy-160 | 66 | 94 | 159.925194 | 2.34% | 67.70-70.10% | Oxide |
| Dy-161 | 66 | 95 | 160.926930 | 18.90% | 92.20-93.50% | Oxide |
| Dy-162 | 66 | 96 | 161.926795 | 25.50% | >94.70% | Oxide |
| Dy-163 | 66 | 97 | 162.928728 | 24.90% | >94.50% | Oxide |
| Dy-164 | 66 | 98 | 163.929171 | 28.20% | 95.90-98.45% | Oxide |
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
| Name | Dysprosium |
| Symbol | Dy |
| Atomic number | 66 |
| Atomic weight | 162.50 |
| Standard state | Solid at 298 ºK |
| CAS Registry ID | 7429-91-6 |
| Group in periodic table | N/A |
| Group name | Lanthanoid |
| Period in periodic table | 6 (Lanthanoid) |
| Block in periodic table | f-block |
| Color | Silvery white |
| Classification | Metallic |
| Melting point | 1411 °C |
| Boiling point | 2562 °C |
| Thermal conductivity | 10.7 W/(m·K) at 298.2 ºK |
| Electrical resistivity | 57.0 µΩ·cm at 25 ºC |
| Electronegativity | 1.22 |
| Specific heat | 167 J/kg K |
| Heat of vaporization | 280 kJ·mol-1 |
| Heat of fusion | 11.1 kJ·mol-1 |
| Density of liquid | 8.37 g/cm3 at 1411 °C |
| Density of solid | 8.56 g/cm3 |
| Electron configuration | [Xe]4f95d16s2 |
| Atomic volume | 19.03 cm3/g atom |
| Atomic radius | 1.773 Å |
| Ionic radius | 0.908 Å |
| Most common oxidation state | +3 |
Research
