How Was Gadolinium Discovered?
Gadolinium is a shiny, soft metal. The substance is commonly separated from the minerals mozanite and gadolinite. Initially discovered by in 1880 by Swiss chemist Jean de Marignac, the element was named after the accomplished Finnish geologist and chemist Johan Gadolin.
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Discovery
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While using a spectrometer to look at didymium and gadolinite, two materials that contain small amounts of gadolinium, de Marignac saw an unfamiliar peak. A spectrometer works by showing the peaks possessed by each element in a sample. Since each peak is unique to that element, when he saw an unfamiliar one, de Marignac knew that a new element had been found.
Later Isolations
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Paul Emile Locoq de Boibaudran, a French chemist, separated the oxide form of the element from a mineral. Only in recent times has the actual element had been isolated.
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Element's Namesake
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Johan Gadolin, a Finnish scientist, first discovered a rare earth metal (see Resources). This element was yttria, named after the Ytterly quarry located near Stockholm, Sweden. Since gadolinium is another rare earth metal that is found in the mineral gadolinite--which was named after the Finnish scientist--the element was also named after the same person.
Form in Nature
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Gadolinium is not known to exist alone in nature. It is usually combined with other elements to make minerals like monazite and bastnaesite.
Uses
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Gadolinium does not have many biological applications, as it is thought to be toxic. However, it is used in electronics to make computer memory, compact discs and phosphors for colors in TV sets.
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