Atomic number 60
Neodymium
Lanthanide
In the real world
Quick facts
- Atomic mass
- 144.24
- Group
- –
- Period
- 6
- State (STP)
- solid
- Electronegativity
- 1.14
- Common ox. states
- +3
Properties
Electron configuration
[Xe] 4f⁴ 6s²
- Ionization energy
- 533.1 kJ/mol
- Electron affinity
- 50.0 kJ/mol
- Melting point
- 1297.00 K (1023.9 °C)
- Boiling point
- 3347.00 K (3073.8 °C)
How dangerous is it?
1/5 · Low risk
The metal inside the strongest permanent magnets you can buy, the ones in headphones and motors. The element is low in toxicity; only its powder is a worry.
- FlammableImmediate
Neodymium dust and filings can ignite in air, unlike the solid magnet metal. (as filings or powder, not the solid)
Keep filings away from flame; the magnets themselves are chemically inert to handle.
How it bonds· family overview
Neodymium (Nd) is a lanthanide - a soft, silvery metal that almost always loses 3 electrons to form a +3 ion (Ln³⁺). Its 4f electrons sit deep below the valence shell, so chemistry across the lanthanide row is remarkably similar: oxide, fluoride, chloride salts, all in the +3 state.
