dysprosium

DYSPROSIUM (Dy) Group Name:** Lanthanide Neutrons: 97 Electron Configuration: (Xe)** 4f10 6s2
 * Atomic Number:** 66[[image:china-rare-earth-dysprosium.jpg width="186" height="147" align="right" caption="peices of Dysprosium"]]
 * Atomic Weight:** 162.500
 * Phase at Room Temperature:** Solid
 * Element Classification:** Metal
 * Period Number:** 6
 * Group Number: ---
 * Protons** :66
 * Electrons: 66

Dysprosium isotopes that are lighter than the stable isotopes tend to decay primarily by β+ decay, while those that are heavier tend to decay by β- decay, with some exceptions. 154Dy decays primarily by alpha decay, and 152Dy and 159Dy decay primarily by electron capture.
 * Isotopes and their Half lives:**


 * ** Isotope ** || ** Half Life ** ||
 * Dy-154 || 3000000.0 years ||
 * Dy-156 || Stable ||
 * Dy-157 || 8.1 hours ||
 * Dy-158 || Stable ||
 * Dy-159 || 144.4 days ||
 * Dy-160 || Stable ||
 * Dy-161 || Stable ||
 * Dy-162 || Stable ||
 * Dy-163 || Stable ||
 * Dy-164 || Stable ||
 * Dy-165 || 2.3 hours ||
 * Dy-166 || 3.4 days ||
 * Electron configuration:**


 * Physical Properties: Dysprosium** is a rare earth that has a metallic, bright silver luster. It is soft enough to be cut with a knife, and can be machined without sparking if overheating is avoided.However, this element has one of the highest magnetic strength among the periodic table
 * Chemical Properties**:Dysprosium dissolves in acids and reacts rapidly with cold water. . Dysprosium easily oxidizes and is therefore used as an element only for research purposes.


 * Uses of Dysprosium**:Dysprosium is applied to control-rods for nuclear reactors because it readily absorbs neutrons. Also it's used in alloys for making magnets since its properties of magnetism. In combination with vanadium and other earth, dysprosium can be used for making laser materials. it is used in the production of compacts d[[image:Dysprosium.jpg width="191" height="150" align="right" caption="Dysprosium is used in television tubes"]]isks(cd) as well


 * History**: French chemist Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, while working with a chemical called holmium oxide , separated dysprosium oxide from it in Paris in 1886. His procedure for isolating the dysprosium was to dissolve dysprosium oxide in acid, then adding ammonia to precipitate the hydroxide, meaning to form a solid in a solution using a chemical reaction. He was then able to isolate dysprosium from its oxide after more than 30 attempts at his procedure. When he finally succeeded, he named the element "dysprosium" from the Greek word dysprositos, meaning "hard to get".


 * Location and Occurrence:** Dysprosium is never encountered as a free element, but is found in many minerals, including xenotime, fergusonite, gadolinite, euxenite, polycrase, blomstrandine, monazite and bastnasite. Dysprosium is obtained primarily from monazite sand, a mixture of various phosphates. The metal is obtained as a by-product in the commercial extraction of the element yttrium.

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 * Sources**:[| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysprosium]
 * Images**: All images from Google.com