Neodymium magnet composition

Word origin:  Neodymium comes from the Greek word neos, meaning new, and didymos, meaning twin. The name combined means new twin.

Discovery: This element was discovered in 1841 when Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander, extracted a rose-colored oxide from cerite, which he named didymium, as it was a twin of the element lanthanum.

In 1885, Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach separated didymium into two new elemental components, neodymium and praseodymium. [See Periodic Table of the Elements]

Properties of neodymium

Neodymium is one of the more reactive lanthanide rare-earth metals and quickly oxidizes in air.

Is neodymium magnetic

The element should be kept under an oil or sealed tightly in a plastic material. The metal has a bright and silvery luster.

Neodymium can be found in two allotropic forms, transforming from a double hexagonal to a body-centered cubic.

Naturally-occurring neodymium has seven stable isotopes. Fourteen other radioactive isotopes are known.

Sources of neodymium

Ion-exchange or solvent extraction techniques are two methods used

where does neodymium come from

how is neodymium found