10 Facts about Dysprosium

Dysprosium is considered as a rare element on earth.  In the periodic system, it has the atomic number of 66 and symbol Dy. If you want to know more about this element, Facts about Dysprosium will elaborate it more. Dysprosium can be found in a number of minerals. However, it is not available as a great element in nature. 164Dy is the most abundant isotope of the element. It has seven isotopes.

Facts about Dysprosium 1: the first identification

Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran was the first scientist who identified Dysprosium in 1886.

Facts about Dysprosium 2: the pure form

The pure form of Dysprosium was isolated after the ion exchange technique was developed in 1950s.

Facts about Dysprosium

Facts about Dysprosium 3: the applications

Dysprosium does not have wider applications.  This chemical element only has limited applications. It is applied for producing the control rods used in the nuclear reactors. In the data storage application, the element is used for the high magnetic susceptibility. It is also applied in a magnetostrictive material as a component. Look at facts about Dynamite here.

Facts about Dysprosium 4: color

Dysprosium has the bright silver luster with metallic color.

Dysprosium Pic

Facts about Dysprosium 5: the texture

Dysprosium is not a hard material. Use a knife to cut this metal easily. You can also cut it with a machine. Make sure that it is not overheated so that the cutting process will never produce sparking.

Facts about Dysprosium 6: the magnetic strength

The magnetic strength of dysprosium is high when it is kept at a very low temperature.

Dysprosium

Facts about Dysprosium 7: the isotopes

As I have stated before, dysprosium has seven isotopes. They are 164Dy, 163Dy, 162Dy, 162Dy, 160Dy, 158Dy and 156Dy. The most abundant isotope is 164Dy for it makes up 28 percent.  The 162Dy accounts for 26 percent. The 156Dy is the least abundant one with 0.06 percent. The most stable one is 154Dy. The 138Dy is the least stable isotope.

Facts about Dysprosium 8: the minerals

The minerals, which may contain dysprosium, are bastnäsite, holmium, erbium, polycrase, gadolinite, euxenite, xenotime, and monazite.

Dysprosium Image

Facts about Dysprosium 9: where to find dysprosium

The southern China contains most dysprosium taken from the ion-adsorption clay ores. Almost 99 percent of dysprosium production is from China. Every year, the global production of dysprosium reaches 100 tonnes. Check facts about Diorite here.

Facts about Dysprosium 10: the price of dysprosium

In 2003, dysprosium was sold $7 per pound. In the end of 2010, it was sold $130 a pound. In 2011, it was sold $1,400/kg. The price was down to $240 in 2015 due to illegal production.

What do you think on facts about dysprosium?