Neodymium (Nd)
Stable isotopes of neodymium available from ISOFLEX
| Isotope | Z(p) | N(n) | Atomic Mass | Natural Abundance | Enrichment Level | Chemical Form |
| Nd-142 | 60 | 82 | 141.907719 | 27.13% | >97.50% | Oxide |
| Nd-143 | 60 | 83 | 142.909810 | 12.18% | ≥79.00% | Oxide |
| Nd-144 | 60 | 84 | 143.910083 | 23.80% | >98.50% | Oxide |
| Nd-145 | 60 | 85 | 144.912569 | 8.30% | ≥94.00% | Oxide |
| Nd-146 | 60 | 86 | 145.913113 | 17.19% | ≥98.80% | Oxide |
| Nd-148 | 60 | 88 | 147.916889 | 5.76% | ≥97.40% | Oxide |
| Nd-150 | 60 | 90 | 149.920887 | 5.64% | ≥97.60% | Oxide |
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Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by Carl F. Auer von Welsbach. Its name derives from the Greek phrase neos didymos, meaning “new twin.”
Neodymium is a silvery-white, soft, malleable metal that tarnishes easily. It liberates hydrogen from water and is soluble in dilute acids. It has a high electrical resistivity and is paramagnetic. It is readily cut and machined. It exists in two allotropic forms: an alpha hexagonal form, and a beta form that has body-centered cubic crystal structure. The alpha allotrope converts to beta modification at 868 ºC. Neodymium corrodes slowly in dry atmosphere at ambient temperatures; however, in moist air, the rate of oxidation is faster, forming a hydrated oxide. Neodymium combines with many nonmetallic elements — including hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and sulfur — at elevated temperatures, forming their binary compounds. The metal dissolves in dilute mineral acids, but concentrated sulfuric acid has little action on it. Neodymium is a moderately strong reducing agent. It reduces several metal oxides — such as magnesia, alumina, silica and zirconia — at elevated temperatures, converting these oxides to their metals.
The pure metal has very little commercial application; however, neodymium in the form of alloys has found some important but limited applications in metallurgy. It is added to cast iron, magnesium, aluminum, zirconium and titanium alloys, imparting high-temperature strength and creep resistance to these alloys. It acts as a “getter” for oxygen, sulfur, hydrogen, nitrogen and other elements. Small quantities of neodymium salts are used as a coloring agent for glass and porcelain, imparting a red color.
Properties of Neodymium
| Name | Neodymium |
| Symbol | Nd |
| Atomic number | 60 |
| Atomic weight | 144.24 |
| Standard state | Solid at 298 °K |
| CAS Registry ID | 7440-00-8 |
| Group in periodic table | N/A |
| Group name | Lanthanoid |
| Period in periodic table | 6 (Lanthanoid) |
| Block in periodic table | f-block |
| Color | Silvery white, yellowish tinge |
| Classification | Metallic |
| Melting point | 1024 °C |
| Boiling point | 3068 °C |
| Vaporization point | 3027 ºC |
| Thermal conductivity | 16.5 W/(m·K) at 298.2 °K |
| Electrical resistivity | 65 x 10-6 Ω·cm at 25 °C |
| Electronegativity | 1.2 |
| Specific heat | 190 kJ/kg K |
| Heat of vaporization | 285 kJ·mol-1 at 3068 °C |
| Heat of fusion | 7.1 kJ·mol-1 |
| Density of liquid | 6.89 g/cm3 at 1024 °C |
| Density of solid | 7.01 g/cm3 |
| Electron configuration | [Xe]4f34d16s2 |
| Atomic volume | 20.60 cm3/mol |
| Most common oxidation state | +3 |
| Other oxidation state | +2 |
| Standard electrode potential | Nd3+: 0.995 Å |
| Ionization potential | 6.31 eV |
Research
- Isotope geochemistry and revised geochronology of the Purrido Ophiolite (Cabo Ortegal Complex, NW Iberian Massif): Devonian magmatism with mixed sources and involved Mesoproterozoic basement
- Abyssal origin for the early Holocene pulse of unradiogenic neodymium isotopes in Atlantic seawater
- Chemical separation of Nd from geological samples for chronological studies using 146Sm–142Nd and 147Sm–143Nd systematics
- Influence of the Amazon River on the Nd isotope composition of deep water in the western equatorial Atlantic during the Oligocene–Miocene transition
- B isotopes of Carboniferous-Permian volcanic rocks in the Tuha basin mirror a transition from subduction to intraplate setting in Central Asian Orogenic Belt
- The tungsten isotopic composition of the Earth’s mantle before the terminal bombardment
- The isotopic nature of the Earth’s accreting material through time
- Isotopic data for Late Cretaceous intrusions and associated altered and mineralized rocks in the Big Belt Mountains, Montana
- Differentiation of the early silicate Earth as recorded by 142Nd-143Nd in 3.8–3.0 Ga rocks from the Anshan Complex, North China Craton
- Hadean silicate differentiation preserved by anomalous 142Nd/144Nd ratios in the Réunion hotspot source
- The Isotopic Ecology of Fossil Vertebrates and Conservation Paleobiology