From Arsenic to Zirconium

PRASEODYMIUM, Pr

YELLOW GLAZE

Soft, ductile praseodymium’s green oxide flakes away,

With Nd in didymium, shields welders’ eyes each day.

Helps magnets build strong north-south poles,

Admire its yellow glaze on bowls.

Its Ni₅ (once magnetized) cools close to zero K.

Soft, ductile praseodymium’s green oxide flakes away,

THIRD IN THE LANTHANOID SERIES

Praseodymium is a silvery, soft, ductile rare-earth metal. It oxidizes slowly in air, producing a green oxide surface layer that duly flakes off, exposing more of the underlying metal to oxidation. Its name, from the Greek for green twin, reflects the fact that many of its compounds are green in ...