Praseodymium
Praseodymium (镨, symbol Pr) is chemical element number 59, a Lanthanide in period 6 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 140.91. Soft, silvery, malleable rare earth. Colors glass yellow-green and used in strong magnets.
Properties
| Atomic number | 59 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Pr |
| Atomic mass | 140.91 u |
| Category | Lanthanide |
| Period | 6 |
| Group | — |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f³ 6s² |
| Electronegativity | 1.13 |
| Covalent radius | 203 pm |
| Density | 6.77 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1208 K |
| Boiling point | 3793 K |
| Discovery | Carl Auer von Welsbach, 1885 |
Overview
Soft, silvery, malleable rare earth. Colors glass yellow-green and used in strong magnets. Praseodymium (Pr) holds position 59 in the periodic table, a Lanthanide in period 6. As a lanthanide (rare-earth) element it closely resembles its neighbours and serves in magnets, phosphors and catalysts.
Its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f³ 6s², with 2 electrons in the outer shell, and an electronegativity of about 1.13 (Pauling). Around 25 °C it is usually a solid; it melts near 1208 K (934.9 °C), boils near 3793 K (3519.9 °C), has a density around 6.77 g/cm³.
In industry and daily life it turns up in Structural / Alloys and Pigments / Glass. It was first described by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1885. The periodic trends guide explains the underlying patterns.
Electron shells
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 21 · 8 · 2
Main uses
- Structural / Alloys
- Pigments / Glass
Hazard
Compounds containing Praseodymium
No compounds in this knowledge base contain Praseodymium yet.
Data sources
Atomic mass uses IUPAC (CIAAW) standard atomic weights; the covalent radius is from Cordero et al. (2008). Verify on the RSC Periodic Table, PubChem and Wikipedia. Educational reference only.