Neodym
History
In 1841, Carl Gustav Mosander extracted the rare earth Didymium from lanthanum oxide. In 1874, Per Teodor Cleve observed that Didymium was actually composed of two elements. In 1879, Lecoq de Boisbaudran isolated Samarium from Didymium, which he extracted from the mineral Samarskite. In 1885, Carl Auer von Welsbach succeeded in separating Didymium into Praseodymium and Neodymium. Pure metallic Neodymium was not produced until 1925.
Properties
Unlike many other rare earth metals, Neodymium is more corrosion-resistant. Its particular characteristics: highly flammable and irritating. Its outstanding property: it is extremely magnetic.
| Eigenschaft | Wert |
|---|---|
Schmelzpunkt | 1024 °C |
Siedepunkt | 3074 °C |
Spezifisches Gewicht | 6,89 g/cm³ |
Massenanteile/Erde | 22 ppm |
Farbe | weiß/beige |
Jahresproduktion | ca. 400t |
Hauptproduzenten | China |
Verwendung | Elektromotoren, Mikrofone, Smartphones, Windkrafträder |
Usage Areas
Neodymium is primarily used for the production of extremely strong neodymium-iron-boron magnets. These magnets can permanently carry 1300 times their weight. They are used wherever strong magnetic fields are needed in small volumes: in turbines or highly efficient electric motors, in microphones or speakers in smartphones – in short: in high technology.
Prospects
Neodymium is the only rare earth element that appears on the EU list of critical metals. Additionally, neodymium's importance for many future technologies is significant. Experts expect that the global demand for neodymium will increase fourfold by 2030.
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