neodymium

American  

[nee-oh-dim-ee-uhm] / ˌni oʊˈdɪm i əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare-earth, metallic, trivalent element occurring with cerium and other rare-earth metals, and having rose-colored to violet-colored salts. Nd; 144.24; 60; 6.9 at 20°C.

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neodymium British  

/ ˌniːəʊˈdɪmɪəm /

noun

1. a toxic silvery-white metallic element of the lanthanide series, occurring principally in monazite: used in colouring glass. Symbol: Nd; atomic no: 60; atomic wt: 144.24; valency: 3; relative density: 6.80 and 7.00 (depending on allotrope); melting pt: 1024°C; boiling pt: 3127°C

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neodymium Scientific  

/ nē′ō-dĭm′ē-əm /

1. A shiny, silvery metallic element of the lanthanide series. It is used to make glass for welders' goggles and purple glass for lasers. Atomic number 60; atomic weight 144.24; melting point 1,024°C; boiling point 3,027°C; specific gravity 6.80 or 7.004 (depending on allotropic form); valence 3.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of neodymium

From New Latin, dating back to 1880–85; see origin at neo-, didymium

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neodymium

In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Hernández Sánchez and his colleagues reported a method that allowed dioxygen to form pi interactions with neodymium, a lanthanide metal.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Magnets that exploit the properties of rare earths such as neodymium can overheat, making them lose their magnetism in high-tech, high-temperature settings such as vehicle engines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

Light elements, including neodymium and praseodymium, are used for permanent magnets.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

Samsara Eco plans to focus initially on rare earths such as neodymium and dysprosium, which are used as alloys in magnets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

Who, then, will be the first to discover a use for indium, germanium, terbium, thulium, lanthanum, neodymium, scandium, samarium and others as unknown to us as tungsten was to our fathers?

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson

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