(So named (Greek dysprositos, "difficult of access") in 1886 by its discoverer, French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran) A silver-white chemical element, one of the rare-earth metals, with a great capacity to absorb neutrons and with strong magnetic properties, especially at very low temperatures.
Symbol: Dy
Atomic number: 66
Atomic weight: 162.50
Density (at
room temperature and
pressure): 8.55
g/
cc
Melting point: 1,412°
C
Boiling point: 2,567°
C
Valence: +3
Ground state electron configuration: [
Xe]4f
106s
2