Lanthanides
Dysprosium
A rare earth that keeps high-temperature magnets stable.
Atomic #66Mass162.50Blockf-blockPeriod6Group—
Dy66 · 162.50
3D Atom Explorer
Inside the Dysprosium atom
Switch between Bohr and Quantum Cloud modes to compare a simple teaching model with a more realistic probability-based view, and follow the guided tour to explore the Dysprosium atom step by step.
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Electron configuration
[Xe] 4f10 6s2
A neutral Dysprosium atom has 66 electrons (equal to its proton count). Choosing a different isotope above changes only the neutron count.
Shell distribution
Shell 12 e⁻Shell 28 e⁻Shell 318 e⁻Shell 428 e⁻Shell 58 e⁻Shell 62 e⁻
Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell drives the element's chemistry.
Properties
Physical & atomic properties
- State (room temp)
- Solid
- Melting point
- 1680 K (1407 °C)
- Boiling point
- 2840 K (2567 °C)
- Density
- 8.55 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 1.22 Pauling
- Atomic radius
- 175 pm
- 1st ionization energy
- 573 kJ/mol
- Category
- Lanthanides
History
Discovery & naming
- Discovered
- 1886
- Discovered by
- Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran
- Origin of name
- Greek 'dysprositos', meaning hard to get.
Notable uses
High-temperature magnets and reactor control rods.
Cosmic origin
Where Dysprosium comes from
Neutron star mergers
Mostly a product of rapid neutron capture in violent, neutron-rich events.
Simplified origin map — many elements form through more than one astrophysical pathway.
Summary
- Atomic number
- 66
- Atomic mass
- 162.50
- Category
- Lanthanides
- Group · Period
- — · 6
- Block
- f-block
- Shells
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 28 · 8 · 2