Dysprosium (Dy)

Dysprosium properties

Atomic number

66

Atomic mass

162.5 u

Category

Lanthanide

Group

—

Period

6

Block

f-block

State at room temp.

Solid

Electronegativity

1.22

Melting point

1,680 K (1,406.8 °C)

Boiling point

2,840 K (2,566.8 °C)

Density

8.54 g/cm³

Valence electrons

2

Common charges

+3

Oxidation states

+3

Atomic radius

229 pm

Ionization energy

5.939 eV

Electron affinity

—

Radioactive

No, has stable isotopes

Discovered

1886

Dysprosium electron configuration

The electron configuration of Dysprosium (Dy) is [Xe] 4f10 6s2. Its 66 electrons are arranged in shells as 2, 8, 18, 28, 8, 2.

Protons, neutrons and electrons in Dysprosium

A neutral Dysprosium atom has 66 protons and 66 electrons. Most Dysprosium atoms have about 97 neutrons: the atomic mass rounded to 163, minus the atomic number 66.

Neutrons are approximate: atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons (isotopes). Atomic number and mass

How many valence electrons does Dysprosium have?

2

Dysprosium has 2 valence electrons in its outermost shell. As an f-block element, its 4f or 5f electrons can also take part in bonding.

See every element: Periodic table with valence electrons

Dysprosium orbital diagram

Each box is an orbital that holds up to two electrons with opposite spins (↑↓). The inner shells are the same as the noble gas in brackets. How to write electron configurations

Molar mass of Dysprosium

162.5 g/mol

One mole of Dysprosium atoms (6.022 × 10²³ atoms) has a mass of 162.5 grams. Use this value to convert between grams and moles.

Dysprosium facts

• Its name comes from the Greek dysprositos, meaning 'hard to get at', reflecting how difficult it was to separate.
• Fairly pure dysprosium metal was not produced until the 1950s, after Frank Spedding's team developed ion-exchange methods for separating rare earths.
• Dysprosium (Dy) has atomic number 66 and is a solid at room temperature. It was discovered in 1886.

Position in the periodic table

Dysprosium is element 66, in period 6 of the periodic table. It is one of the Lanthanides in the f-block, shown in the rows below the main table.

All lanthanides

Uses of Dysprosium

Dysprosium is added to neodymium–iron–boron magnets so they keep their strength at the high temperatures found in electric vehicle motors and wind turbine generators. It is also part of Terfenol-D, a shape-changing magnetic alloy used in sonar and sensors. Dysprosium iodide is used in high-intensity metal halide lamps, and dysprosium compounds absorb neutrons in some nuclear reactor control rods.

Who discovered Dysprosium?

French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered dysprosium in Paris in 1886, after painstakingly separating its oxide from holmium oxide.

Where does the name come from?

Dysprosium comes from the Greek dysprositos, meaning 'hard to get at'. Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran chose the name in 1886 after many painstaking attempts to separate the element from holmium.

Discovery timeline