Dysprosium helps neodymium-based magnets resist losing magnetisation at high temperatures, a useful property in motors and generators. Its compounds also appear in bright discharge lamps and neutron-absorbing materials. The element therefore connects magnetic design to both optical emission and nuclear interactions.
FROM ELEMENT TO APPLICATION
AN ELEMENT IN CONTEXT
How can dysprosium help a magnet resist demagnetization without defining the whole magnet?
Dysprosium-modified neodymium–iron–boron material
FOLLOW THIS RELATIONSHIP
Begin with the magnet system
Selected neodymium–iron–boron magnets include dysprosium additions. The starting magnetic material already involves several elements and a deliberately prepared internal structure.
Explore the model (optional)
DyFORM → INTERACTION → CONSEQUENCE
Follow the explanation in either direction. These are authored steps, not a physical clock.
Atomic identity, reference properties and structure models
INTERACTIVE 3D66 visible sites
An electron censusDrag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
[Xe] 4f10 6s2. Grouping electrons by principal shell connects the neutral-atom configuration to periodic-table patterns.
What this representation means
A three-dimensional counting diagram. Dots are count markers, not measured electron positions; spherical placement and spacing are arbitrary. There are no electron trajectories here. Orbitals describe quantum states.
Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran identified dysprosium in 1886 through repeated separations of rare-earth material. Its name reflects the difficulty of obtaining it. Much purer separated materials became accessible around 1950 through ion-exchange methods developed by Frank Spedding and colleagues. The interval illustrates how discovery and availability differ: an element can be scientifically recognized long before reliable methods make it practical for detailed materials work.
1886
Dysprosium identified
Lecoq de Boisbaudran distinguished the rare-earth constituent.
Around 1950
Separation improved
Spedding and colleagues advanced ion-exchange separation of rare earths.
Dysprosium occurs in mixed rare-earth , including monazite, bastnaesite, and xenotime. Its association with neighboring elements complicates but also connects their resource histories. Producing a selected dysprosium compound or ingredient requires more than finding an with a detectable amount of the element.
Dysprosium is a reactive rare-earth metal with important magnetic-material roles. In selected permanent-magnet compositions, it helps resistance to demagnetization under demanding conditions. Its compounds also have optical applications. These effects depend on material structure and chemical form; a single atom diagram cannot specify the performance of an engineered magnet.
Each section links its supporting references. Descriptions and diagrams were authored for this atlas. Source checks completed. Source checks dated 2026-09-06.
CITE THIS PAGE
Family labels and the group-3 layout are teaching conventions. A table position does not establish an unknown bulk property. Electronic configurations refer to neutral atoms; ions and material environments require their own account.
Read each reference property together with its units, conditions and the reference information below.
Not yet recorded: electron affinity, second ionization energy, ground-state term symbol, van der waals radius, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, electrical resistivity, crystal structure, lattice parameter a, space group, abundance in seawater, abundance in the universe, annual production, supply-risk listing, hazard classification, biological role, cas registry number, pubchem cid, wikidata item. These families are declared and awaiting an ingestion run against the source each names; they are listed here rather than shown as empty rows.
Physical
Intended reference: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics · CRC Press
Phase at 20 °C
solid
293.15 K, 101.325 kPa
Melting point in K
1680 K
at standard pressure unless noted
Boiling point in K
2840 K
101.325 kPa
Density in g/cm³
8.55 g/cm³
solids and liquids at 293 K; gases at 273 K and 101.325 kPa
Atomic and electronic
Intended reference: Pauling electronegativity scale · Widely tabulated; original in The Nature of the Chemical Bond
Electronegativity in Pauling
1.22 Pauling
Pauling scale
First ionization energy in kJ/mol
573 kJ/mol
gas-phase neutral atom, ground state
Covalent radius in pm
192 pm
single-bond covalent radius
Common oxidation states
+3
states met in ordinary compounds; not exhaustive
Occurrence and identity
Intended reference: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics · CRC Press
Abundance in the crust in mg/kg
5.2 mg/kg
upper continental crust, mass fraction
Has stable isotopes
Yesderived
Discovery year in CE
1886 CEderived
WHERE IT SITS AMONG ITS NEIGHBORS
Electronegativity across period 6
Dy 1.22 Pauling · Dysprosium
Electronegativity across period 6. Exact values.
Cs
0.79
Ba
0.89
La
1.1
Ce
1.12
Pr
1.13
Nd
1.14
Sm
1.17
Eu
1.2
Gd
1.2
Tb
1.1
Dy
1.22
Ho
1.23
Er
1.24
Tm
1.25
Yb
1.1
Lu
1.27
Hf
1.3
Ta
1.5
W
2.36
Re
1.9
Os
2.2
Ir
2.2
Pt
2.28
Au
2.54
Hg
2
Tl
1.62
Pb
2.33
Bi
2.02
Po
2
At
2.2
The trend uses the same reference-property values as the periodic table. Elements with no recorded value are left out of the line rather than drawn at zero.
