Dy

Dysprosium

Identification

CAS Number: 7429-91-6

Discovery Year: 1886

Discoverer: Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran

Discovery Location: France

Properties

Atomic Mass: 162.5 →Density: 8.55 g/cm³ →

Crust Abundance: 5.2 mg/kg

Crystal Structure: HEX

Atomic Dimensions

Atomic Radius: 175 pm →

Atomic Radius (Rahm): 275 pm

Covalent Radius: 192 pm →

Van der Waals Radius: 231 pm

Atomic Volume: 19 cm³/mol

Lattice Constant: 3.59 Å

Thermodynamics

Melting Point: 1685 K →Boiling Point: 2835 K →Specific Heat: 0.173 J/(g·K) →Thermal Conductivity: 10.7 W/(m·K) →Heat of Vaporization: 291 kJ/mol →

Heat of Formation: 290.4 kJ/mol

Electronic Structure

Electron Config: [Xe] 4f10 6s2

Block: f

Period: 6 →Electronegativity: 1.22 →Electron Affinity: 0.35200000000000004 eV →

Oxidation States: +3

Abundance & Geochemistry

Crust Abundance: 5.2 mg/kg

Sea Abundance: 9.1e-7 mg/L

Geochemical Class: rare earth & related

Goldschmidt Class: litophile

About

Metallic with a bright silvery-white lustre. Dysprosium belongs to the lanthanoids. It is relatively stable in air at room temperatures, it will however dissolve in mineral acids, evolving hydrogen. It is found in from rare-earth minerals. There are seven natural isotopes of dysprosium, and eight radioisotopes, Dy-154 being the most stable with a half-life of 3*10^6 years. Dysprosium is used as a neutron absorber in nuclear fission reactions, and in compact disks. It was discovered by Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1886 in France. Its name comes from the Greek word dysprositos, which means hard to obtain.

Isotopes

Dy-164 164 28.26%

Dy-162 162 25.47%

Dy-163 163 24.90%

Dy-161 161 18.89%

Dy-160 160 2.33%

Dy-158 158 0.0950%

Dy-156 156 0.0560%