Firsts
Neodymium was first found in the mixture of rare-earth elements called didymium. Its founder Carl Mosander incorrectly categorized it as an element based on a misconception of Jöns Jakob Berzelius, his chemistry teacher and mentor. Didymium was represented in Mendeleev’s first draft of a periodic table but was later removed. In 1885, Carl F. Auer von Welsbach separated didymium into its two main elements: praseodymium and neodymium. Neodymium was first isolated in its pure form by Hans Kramers. In 1927, compounds neodymium were first commercially used as glass dyes.