66. Dysprosium

Name: Dysprosium
Symbol: Dy
Atomic Number: 66
Atomic Mass: 162.5 amu
Melting Point: 1412.0 °C (1685.15 °K, 2573.6 °F)
Boiling Point: 2562.0 °C (2835.15 °K, 4643.6 °F)
Number of Protons/Electrons: 66
Number of Neutrons: 97
Classification: Rare Earth
Crystal Structure: Hexagonal
Density(293 K): 8.536 g/cm3
Color: Unknown

The element has a metallic, bright silver lustre. It is relatively stable in air at room temperature, but dissolves readily, with the evolution of hydrogen, in mineral acids. The metal is soft enough to be cut with a knife and can be machined without sparking if overheating is avoided. It is a rare earth metal found in minerals such as xenotime, monazite and bastnaesite.

Dysprosium was first identified in Paris in 1886 by French chemist Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran; however, the element itself was not isolated in relatively pure form until after the development of ion exchange and metallographic reduction techniques in the 1950s. The name dysprosium is derived from Greek dysprositos, "hard to get at".

As with the other lanthanides, dysprosium compounds are of low to moderate toxicity, although their toxicity has not been investigated in detail. Dysprosium does not have any known biological properties.

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Non-metals H, C, N, O, P, S, Se
Halogens F, Cl, Br, I, At
Alkali metals Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr
Alkaline Earth Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra
Transition metals Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Rf, Db, Sg, Bh, Hs, Mt, Ds, Rg, Uub
Metalloids B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te, Po
Other metals Al, Ga, In, Sn, Tl, Pb, Bi
Rare Earth Lu, Lr, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No
Noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn

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