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⇱ The mineralogy of Neodymium

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The mineralogy of Neodymium

General Properties
Symbol:Nd
Commodity pages:Neodymium
Atomic Number:60
Standard atomic weight (Ar):144.242(3)
Electron configuration:[Xe] 4f4 6s2
Photos
<
Ultrapure neodymium under argon
>
Atomic Properties
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):1.14
Atomic Radius:206 pm
Ionic Radius:129 pm (+2)
1st Ionization energy:533 kJ/mol
1st Electron affinity:-50 kJ/mol
Oxidation States:2,3
Physical Properties
Standard State:solid
Bonding Type:metallic
Melting Point:1294 K
Boiling Point:3373 K
Density:7.01 g/cm3
Metal/Non-Metal:lanthanoid
Main isotopes of Neodymium
Isotope% in NatureHalf LifeDecay typeDecay product
142Nd27.2%–Spontaneous fission ?
143Nd12.2%–α ?139Ce
144Nd23.8%2.29×1015yα140Ce
145Nd8.3%>6×1016yα ?141Ce
146Nd17.2%–α ?142Ce
?146Sm
148Nd5.7%>3.0×1018yα144Ce
β-β- ?148Sm
150Nd5.6%6.7×1018yβ-β-150Sm
Main ions of Neodymium
NameIonExample minerals
neodymium(II)Nd2+
neodymium(III)Nd3+
Other Information
Year Discovered:1885
Discovered By:
👁 08039960017362077227810.jpg
Carl Auer von Welsbach
Named For:Greek: neos didymos - "new twin"
CPK color coding:#C7FFC7
External Links:WikipediaWebElementsLos Alamos National LaboratoryTheodore Gray's PeriodicTable.com
Simple Compounds
Nitridesneodymium nitrideNdN+3
Sulfidesneodymium sulphideNdS+2
dineodymium trisulphideNd2S3+3
Selenidesneodymium selenideNdSe+2
Telluridesneodymium tellurideNdTe+2
dineodymium tritellurideNd2Te3+3
Fluoridesneodymium trifluorideNdF3+3
Chloridesneodymium dichlorideNdCl2+2
neodymium trichlorideNdCl3+3
Bromidesneodymium tribromideNdBr3+3
Iodidesneodymium diiodideNdI2+2
neodymium triiodideNdI3+3
Oxidesdineodymium trioxideNd2O3+3
Mineral Diversity of Neodymium
3. Halides1 valid mineral species
4. Oxides 3 valid mineral species
5. Carbonates 14 valid mineral species
7. Sulfates 1 valid mineral species
8. Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates9 valid mineral species
9. Silicates 9 valid mineral species
Total:37 valid species containing essential Neodymium
Minerals with the greatest weight % of Neodymium
Kozoite-(Nd)Nd(CO3)(OH)65.19 %
Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd)Nd(CO3)(OH)65.19 %
Bastnäsite-(Nd)Nd(CO3)F 64.61 %
Monazite-(Nd)Nd(PO4)60.30 %
Rhabdophane-(Nd)Nd(PO4)·H2O56.08 %
Wakefieldite-(Nd)Nd(VO4)55.65 %
Hingganite-(Nd)Nd2◻Be2Si2O8(OH)254.98 %
Fluorbritholite-(Nd)Ca2Nd3(SiO4)3F53.55 %
Parisite-(Nd)Ca(Nd,Ce,La)2(CO3)3F252.78 %
Babunaite-(Nd)NdAsO450.94 %
Geochemistry of Neodymium
Goldschmidt classification:Lithophile
Nd3+ was one of the ions least depleted from the mantle in the formation of the crust.
Nd3+ is enriched in Ca-Al-rich inclusions in meteorites relative to the composition of the solar system.
Nd3+ is concentrated in residual soils and sediments (less certainty.)
Elemental Abundance for Neodymium
Crust (CRC Handbook)4.15 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Kaye & Laby)4.4 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Greenwood)4.0 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)1.6000 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Wänke)2.5400 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Weaver)2.3000 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)2.6000 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Shaw)2.6000 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Sea Water (CRC Handbook)2.8 x 10-12mass per volume fraction, kg/L
Sea Water (Kaye & Laby)2.8 x 10-12mass per volume fraction, kg/L
The Sun (Kaye & Laby)9.0 x 10-7atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Kaye & Laby)8.3 x 10-7atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Ahrens)8.279 x 10-7 (1.3%)atom mole fraction relative to Si=1 (% uncertainty)
Element association of Neodymium in the Mineral World
This table compares the known valid mineral species listed listed with Neodymium and the other elements listed based on the official IMA formula. Note that unlike other sections on this page this includes non-essential elements.

The first data column contains the total number of minerals listed with Neodymium and the element listed for that row.

The second data column lists this number as a percentage of all minerals listed with Neodymium.

The final data column compares this percentage against the percentage of all minerals that contain the element listed in each row.

Click on a heading to sort.
ElementValid Minerals listed with element and Neodymium% of Nd mineralsRelative to % in all minerals
Oxygen53 minerals with Nd and O100.00%23.21% higher
Hydrogen32 minerals with Nd and H60.38%8.37% higher
Carbon24 minerals with Nd and C45.28%453.56% higher
Calcium18 minerals with Nd and Ca33.96%36.42% higher
Cerium18 minerals with Nd and Ce33.96%998.47% higher
Silicon15 minerals with Nd and Si28.30%2.54% higher
Lanthanum15 minerals with Nd and La28.30%1,967.70% higher
Fluorine11 minerals with Nd and F20.75%163.03% higher
Sodium9 minerals with Nd and Na16.98%9.09% lower
Phosphorus8 minerals with Nd and P15.09%22.69% higher
Aluminium8 minerals with Nd and Al15.09%24.22% lower
Iron8 minerals with Nd and Fe15.09%32.81% lower
Yttrium6 minerals with Nd and Y11.32%388.21% higher
Uranium6 minerals with Nd and U11.32%121.08% higher
Sulfur4 minerals with Nd and S7.55%65.76% lower
Beryllium4 minerals with Nd and Be7.55%249.76% higher
Copper4 minerals with Nd and Cu7.55%44.40% lower
Arsenic4 minerals with Nd and As7.55%41.85% lower
Titanium3 minerals with Nd and Ti5.66%19.38% lower
Manganese3 minerals with Nd and Mn5.66%51.45% lower
Niobium3 minerals with Nd and Nb5.66%84.04% higher
Barium3 minerals with Nd and Ba5.66%21.63% higher
Samarium3 minerals with Nd and Sm5.66%5,758.49% higher
Gadolinium2 minerals with Nd and Gd3.77%3,805.66% higher
Lead2 minerals with Nd and Pb3.77%65.02% lower
Thorium2 minerals with Nd and Th3.77%471.56% higher
Vanadium1 mineral with Nd and V1.89%60.81% lower
Praseodymium1 mineral with Nd and Pr1.89%11,616.98% higher
Lithium1 mineral with Nd and Li1.89%4.74% lower
Boron1 mineral with Nd and B1.89%62.57% lower
Magnesium1 mineral with Nd and Mg1.89%85.87% lower
Caesium1 mineral with Nd and Cs1.89%255.06% higher
Dysprosium1 mineral with Nd and Dy1.89%3,805.66% higher
Tungsten1 mineral with Nd and W1.89%109.23% higher
Periodic Table
1H 2He
3Li 4Be 5B 6C 7N 8O 9F 10Ne
11Na 12Mg 13Al 14Si 15P 16S 17Cl 18Ar
19K 20Ca 21Sc 22Ti 23V 24Cr 25Mn 26Fe 27Co 28Ni 29Cu 30Zn 31Ga 32Ge 33As 34Se 35Br 36Kr
37Rb 38Sr 39Y 40Zr 41Nb 42Mo 43Tc 44Ru 45Rh 46Pd 47Ag 48Cd 49In 50Sn 51Sb 52Te 53I 54Xe
55Cs 56Ba 57La 72Hf 73Ta 74W 75Re 76Os 77Ir 78Pt 79Au 80Hg 81Tl 82Pb 83Bi 84Po 85At 86Rn
87Fr 88Ra 89Ac 104Rd 105Db 106Sg 107Bh 108Hs 109Mt 110Ds 111Rg 112Cn 113Nh 114Fl 115Mc 116Lv 117Ts 118Og
58Ce 59Pr 60Nd 61Pm 62Sm 63Eu 64Gd 65Tb 66Dy 67Ho 68Er 69Tm 70Yb 71Lu
90Th 91Pa 92U 93Np 94Pu 95Am 96Cm 97Bk 98Cf 99Es 100Fm 101Md 102No 103Lr
Default Categories CPK Electronegativity Atomic Radius Lowest Oxidation Highest Oxidation Crustal Abundance Goldschmidt Mineral Species Minerals with Nd Relative Frequency
Praseodymium << Neodymium >> Promethium


Most widespread minerals containing Neodymium
This list of minerals containing Neodymium is built from the mindat.org locality database. This is based on the number of localities entered for mineral species and is therefore slanted towards minerals interesting to collectors with less coverage of common rock-forming-minerals so it does not give an undistorted distribution of Neodymium mineral species. It is more useful when comparing rare species rather than common species.
NameFormulaCrystal SystemMindat Localities
Monazite-(Nd)Nd(PO4)Monoclinic49
Agardite-(Nd)NdCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2OHexagonal22
Rhabdophane-(Nd)Nd(PO4) · H2OHexagonal19
Lanthanite-(Nd)Nd2(CO3)3 · 8H2OOrthorhombic15
Aeschynite-(Nd)Nd(TiNb)O6Orthorhombic13
Synchysite-(Nd)CaNd(CO3)2FOrthorhombic9
Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd)Nd(CO3)(OH)Hexagonal9
Bastnäsite-(Nd)Nd(CO3)F Hexagonal8
Allanite-(Nd)(CaNd)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)Monoclinic8
Françoisite-(Nd)(Nd,Ce,Sm)(UO2)3(PO4)2O(OH) · 6H2OMonoclinic7
Photos

Localities with greatest number of different Neodymium mineral species
1Clara Mine, Oberwolfach, Ortenaukreis, Freiburg Region, Baden-Württemberg, Germany4 Nd minerals
2Ryoke granite pegmatites, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan4 Nd minerals
3Bayan Obo deposit, Bayan Obo mining district, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, China3 Nd minerals
4Dara-i-Pioz Massif, Districts of Republican Subordination, Tajikistan3 Nd minerals
5North Bohemian Uranium District, Liberec Region, Czech Republic3 Nd minerals
6Åskagen Quarry, Persberg ore district, Filipstad, Värmland County, Sweden3 Nd minerals
7Kamoto East Open cut, Kamoto, Mutshatsha, Lualaba, DR Congo3 Nd minerals
8Stetind pegmatite, Narvik, Nordland, Norway3 Nd minerals


Spotted a mistake/omission? - These pages are a work in progress, so please send all comments/corrections to jolyon@mindat.org. Thank you.

Constants and physical property data from:

Lide, David R. - Ed. (2005) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics - A Ready-Reference Book of Chemical and Physical Data (85th ed.). CRC Press.
National Physical Laboratory (2005) Kaye and Laby Online (discontinued). https://web.archive.org/web/20190506031327/http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/
Kaye, G. W. C.; Laby, T. H. (n.d.) Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants and some Mathematical Functions. Longmans, Green, and Co.
Greenwood, N.N.; Earnshaw, A. (1997) Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth–Heinemann.
Ahrens, Thomas J. - Ed. (1995) Global Earth Physics - A Handbook of Physical Constants - AGU Reference Shelf No. 1. American Geophysical Union.
Railsback, L. Bruce (2003) An earth scientist's periodic table of the elements and their ions. Geology, 31 (9) 737 doi:10.1130/g19542.1
Emsley, John (2001) Nature's Building Blocks - An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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