What Is the Origin of the Name for Gadolinium?
Every element on the periodic table is unique in its own way. That uniqueness isn't found just in their atomic structure or weight but also in the story of how they were discovered, who first found them and from where their name came? Sometimes those stories overlap, as is the case with Gadolinium.
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Origin
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Gadolinium is obtained from the rare earth metal gadolinite. When gadolinite oxidizes (reactes with moist air), gadolinium is formed.
Name
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Gadolinium, like its parent element gadolinite, is named for Gadolin, who was a Finnish chemist who discovered the rare earth element from which gadolinium was first isolated.
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Discovery
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Gadolinium was first separated from gadolinite in 1880 by a French chemist named Marignac.
Sources
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Gadolinium is also found in a variety of other minerals. These include monazite and bastnasite.
Uses
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Gadolinium has a variety of superconductive properties. As a result, it has made its way into microwaves and televisions, but it is also added to iron and chromium as well as other alloys as a way to help resist high-temperature oxidation.
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