Neodymium combines with iron and boron to make strong permanent magnets used in compact electronic devices and larger machines. It also modifies optical glass and laser materials. These uses make neodymium a connection between magnetic forces, sound reproduction, electric machines, and light.
FROM ELEMENT TO APPLICATION
AN ELEMENT IN CONTEXT
Why is a neodymium magnet an engineered material rather than pure neodymium?
Neodymium–iron–boron magnetic alloy
FOLLOW THIS RELATIONSHIP
Combine the magnetic material ingredients
Neodymium, iron and boron form the basis of a permanent-magnet material. The familiar magnet name abbreviates a composition containing several elements.
Explore the model (optional)
NdFORM → INTERACTION → CONSEQUENCE
Follow the explanation in either direction. These are authored steps, not a physical clock.
Optional: check your understanding
USE THE EXPLANATION
Which description best identifies the material in this magnet?
Atomic identity, reference properties and structure models
INTERACTIVE 3D60 visible sites
An electron censusDrag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
[Xe] 4f4 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.
From a mixed rare earth to useful magnetic materials
Carl Auer von Welsbach separated neodymium and praseodymium in 1885 from material long called didymium. Their distinct supported the separation of what had been treated as one element. A pure neodymium metal sample was obtained in 1925. The history links analytical evidence to materials preparation: recognizing separate atomic identities and producing a metal suitable for later development were different milestones.
1885
Neodymium identified
Auer von Welsbach separated neodymium from didymium.
Neodymium occurs in rare-earth such as monazite and bastnaesite, together with chemically related elements. The supply chain runs through mineral concentration, chemical separation, and conversion into useful forms. A magnet and a laser glass may begin from related resources while requiring very different finished compositions.
Neodymium's applications span magnetic alloys and optically active in host materials. Strong permanent magnets use a neodymium–iron–boron composition; laser materials place neodymium within glass or . The element is a common ingredient, but the collective magnetic structure and the optical transition are different mechanisms.
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
1297 K
at standard pressure unless noted
Boiling point in K
3347 K
101.325 kPa
Density in g/cm³
7.01 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
1.14 Pauling
Pauling scale
First ionization energy in kJ/mol
533.1 kJ/mol
gas-phase neutral atom, ground state
Covalent radius in pm
201 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
41.5 mg/kg
upper continental crust, mass fraction
Has stable isotopes
Yesderived
Discovery year in CE
1885 CEderived
WHERE IT SITS AMONG ITS NEIGHBORS
Electronegativity across period 6
Nd 1.14 Pauling · Neodymium
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.
