Silvery-white luster metal, belongs to the rare earth metals. In air, it has a slightly better corrosion resistance than cerium, but develops a pink-violet oxide layer which can flake off in air.
Symbol | Nd |
Atomic number | 60 |
Atomic weight | 144.24 |
Specific thermal weight at 20°C | 7.003 g/cm3 |
Melting point | 1024° C |
Boiling point | 3100°C |
Melting heat | 7.1 kJ/mol |
Specific thermal capacity at 20°C | 190 kJ/(kg · K) |
Thermal conductivity | 17 kJ/(m · K) |
The metal is used, for example, in iron-boron-neodymium alloys for permanent magnets, which are produced according to a special procedure with rapid cooling during casting. Neodymium, together with cerium, lanthanum, and praseodymium, is also contained in the type AE magnesium alloys as an alloying element (e.g. AE42, AE44).