Dysprosium | Chemistry

Hazel Park High School, Hazel Park, Michigan, U.S.A.

Dysprosium, 66, Hazel Park High School, Michigan USA

Dysprosium: Color symbolism: Halides of dysprosium tend to be yellow. Dysprosium is used in dosimeters to detect gamma and alpha radiation; radiation will cause dysprosium to luminesce upon heat treatment with wavelengths of 478 nm (light blue) and 571 nm (green-yellow).

Object symbolism: dysprosium is used in control rods of nuclear reactors, in light bulbs to give bright white light by emitting both red and green, in small capacitors with high capacitance, in Infrared (IR) lasers, and dysprosium is one of the most powerfully magnetic elements. None of its natural isotopes is radioactive.

Amy Zitzelberger, Hazel Park High School, Hazel Park, Michigan, U.S.A.

Atomic properties*

Name:

Dysprosium

Symbol:

Dy

Atomic number:

66

Atomic mass:

160.500 amu

Melting point:

1412°C

Boiling point:

2567°C

Density:

8.55 g/cm³

Electronegativity:

1.22

# of Isotopes:

7

State:

Solid

Colour:

Silvery-white**

Classification:

Metallic**

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

** Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/