Dysprosium

66

Dy

162.500(1)

  • Name: Dysprosium
  • Symbol: Dy
  • Atomic number: 66
  • Atomic weight: 162.500(1)
  • CAS Registry ID: 7429-91-6
  • Group name: Lanthanoid
  • Period number: 6
  • Block: f-block
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Description

Dysprosium is a lanthanide that has a silvery white color in its natural solid state. Bolt cutters can be used to cut dysprosium, and it is stable in the air at room temperatures. Dysprosium has an atomic weight of 162.500, a melting point of 2565 °F, and a boiling point of 4653 °F. Some common uses of dysprosium include: as a component in laser materials, in nuclear rods for cooling reactors, as a component in infrared radiation, and in the manufacture of nanomagnets.

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Isolation

Dysprosium is never found in its free state in nature, but occurs in many minerals which contain other rare elements and lanthanides that it has to be isolated from.

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The isolation procedures of dysprosium are highly complex and involve multiple chemical reactions. Due to the fact that dysprosium must be separated from other elements with similar chemical characteristics, the complex isolation procedures are never performed on a small scale basis in laboratories. Dysprosium most often occurs in minerals such as bastnasite, euxenite, erbium, holmium, fergusonite, monazite, and xenotime.

The extraction process of dysprosium begins with treating the minerals it occurs in with sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide. This process extracts the lanthanides from their minerals in a salt form. Repeated solvent extractions and ion exchange chromatography are used to further reduce and isolation dysprosium. Once dysprosium has been reduced to its fluoride form, it is reacted with pure calcium metal. This reaction takes place under heated conditions to separate the dysprosium from the fluoride. Any excess calcium that remains as a contaminant in the dysprosium is removed through vacuum resulting in pure dysprosium.


General
Name Dysprosium
Symbol Dy
Number 66
Chemical series lanthanides
Group n/a
Period 6
Block f
Appearance silvery white
Standard atomic weight 162.500(1)  g·mol−1
Electron configuration [Xe] 4f10 6s2
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 28, 8, 2
Atomic properties
Crystal structure hexagonal
Oxidation states 3 (weakly basic oxide)
Electronegativity 1.22 (scale Pauling)
Ionization energies 1st:  573.0  kJ·mol−1
(more) 2nd:  1130  kJ·mol−1
(more) 3rd:  2200  kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius 175  pm
Atomic radius (calc.) 228  pm
Covalent radius
Van der Waals radius
Physical properties
Phase solid
Density (near r.t.) 8.540  g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p. 8.37  g·cm−3
Melting point 1680 K (1407 °C, 2565 °F)
Boiling point 2840 K (2562 °C, 4653 °F)
Critical point
Heat of fusion 11.06  kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization 280  kJ·mol−1
Heat capacity (25 °C) 27.7  J·mol−1·K−1
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering paramagnetic at r.t.,
Electrical resistivity (r.t.) (α, poly) 926 nΩ·m
Thermal conductivity (300 K) 10.7  W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion (r.t.) (α, poly) 9.9 µm/(m·K)
Speed of sound (thin rod) (20 °C) 2710 m/s
Young's modulus (α form) 61.4  GPa
Shear modulus (α form) 24.7  GPa
Bulk modulus (α form) 40.5  GPa
Poisson ratio (α form) 0.247
Mohs hardness
Vickers hardness 540  MPa
Brinell hardness 500  MPa
CAS registry number 7429-91-6

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