You want to know more? Fun Facts!
- Carl F. Auer von Welsbach had been studying the residue isolated by Carl Mosander several years before when he made the discovery of both neodymium and praseodymium
- Despite being a rare earth element, and never being found in its free form in nature, neodymium is as prevalent in the earth’s crust as nickel, copper, and cobalt.
- There are 29 radioactive isotopes of neodymium, but the most stable are Nd-144 and Nd-150 that occur naturally
- The current reserves of neodymium are believed to be around eight million tons, with around seven thousand tons produced each year.
- While Neodymium’s chief use was as a reddish-purple pigment for glass and ceramics, it has other applications in cryocoolers and as a fertilizer.
- Neodymium's name is derived from the Greek words "neos" meaning new and "didymos" meaning twin.