About

Neodymium is a soft, silvery-white rare-earth metal that rapidly tarnishes in air. Its most important use is in creating neodymium magnets (an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron - NdFeB), which are the strongest type of permanent magnet known. These powerful, lightweight magnets are critical for consumer electronics like headphones and hard drives, as well as electric motors and wind turbines.

Atomic Properties

Atomic Number60

Atomic Weight144.242 u

Neutrons (common)84

Electron Configuration[Xe] 4f⁴ 6s²

Full Configuration1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 6s²

Electrons per Shell2, 8, 18, 22, 8, 2

Electronegativity1.14

Electron Affinity184.87 kJ/mol

Oxidation States+4, +3, +2

Covalent Radius181 pm

Ionic Radius98.3 pm

Periodic Table Position

Group3

Period6

BlockF

Chemical SeriesLanthanoids

Physical Properties

State at STPsolid

Appearancesilvery-white

Crystal Structurehcp

Magnetic Orderingparamagnetic

Speed of Sound2,730 m/s

Poisson Ratio0.281

Thermal Properties

Melting Point1,297 K

Boiling Point3,373 K

Thermal Expansion0 1/K

Thermal Conductivity16.5 W/(m·K)

Specific Heat0.19 J/(g·K)

Molar Heat27.45 J/(mol·K)

Heat of Fusion7.14 kJ/mol

Heat of Vaporization289 kJ/mol

Abundance

In Earth's Crust41.5 ppm

In Ocean0 ppm

In Solar System0.002 ppm

In Universe0.01 ppm

Discovery

Discovered byCarl Auer von Welsbach

Discovery Year1,885

Occurrenceprimordial

CAS Number7440-00-8

Electron Configuration

Energy

↿⇂

↿

Isotopes of Neodymium

Symbol ▲	Mass (u) ▲	Abundance ▲	Half-life ▲	Decay Mode ▲
¹⁴²Nd	141.907720	27.153%	Stable	Stable
¹⁴³Nd	142.909810	12.173%	Stable	Stable
¹⁴⁴Nd	143.910090	23.798%	2.29 Py	Alpha Decay
¹⁴⁵Nd	144.912570	8.293%	Stable	Stable
¹⁴⁶Nd	145.913120	17.189%	Stable	Stable
¹⁴⁸Nd	147.916890	5.756%	Stable	Stable
¹⁵⁰Nd	149.920890	5.638%	9.3 Ey	Double Beta Minus Decay

Interactive Visualization

Explore the 3D Bohr model of Neodymium in our interactive viewer.

View 3D Model of Neodymium