Gadolinium

Characteristics A sample of gadolinium Physical properties Gadolinium is a silvery-white malleable and ductile rare-earth metal.

Gadolinium is paramagnetic at room temperature, with a ferromagnetic Curie point of 20 °C. citation Paramagnetic ions, such as gadolinium, enhance nuclear relaxation rates.

However, chelated gadolinium(III) compounds are far less toxic because they carry gadolinium(III) through the kidneys and out of the body before the free ion can be released into tissue.

Its association with gadolinium and not the carrier molecule is confirmed by its occurrence in from contrast materials in which gadolinium is carried by very different carrier molecules.

Solutions of organic gadolinium complexes and gadolinium compounds are used as intravenous MRI contrast agent to enhance images in medical magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) procedures.

This is thought to be due to the gadolinium ion itself, since gadolinium(III) carrier molecules associated with the disease differ.

Using gadolinium as a dopant for materials like cerium oxide (in the form of gadolinium doped ceria ) creates an electrolyte with both high ionic conductivity and low operating temperatures that are optimal for cost-effective production of fuel cells.

There are very strong positive correlations between neodymium and praseodymium, samarium, terbium, gadolinium and dysprosium suggesting a favourable geological environment for rare earth elements.

A higher water level in the tube slowed more neutrons in the core, causing more neutron capture by the gadolinium tube cladding rather than by the uranium fuel, thus lowering the power level.

Applications Gadolinium has no large-scale applications but has a variety of specialized uses.

A variety of techniques can be used to generate the pictures, such as administration of a paramagnetic contrast agent ( gadolinium ) or using a technique known as "flow-related enhancement" (e.

Because he realized that "gadolinia" was the oxide of a new element, he is credited with discovery of gadolinium.

Biological role Gadolinium has no known native biological role, but its compounds are used as research tools in biomedicine.

Design and operation Instead of the movable hafnium -based control rods used in all of the other United States Naval reactors, reactivity in the S7G core was controlled by stationary gadolinium -clad tubes partially filled with water.

French chemist Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran actually carried out the separation of gadolinium metal from gadolinia, in 1886.

Gadolinium as a phosphor is also used in other imaging.

Gadolinium becomes ferromagnetic at below 16 °C (Curie point).

Gadolinium(III) salts have therefore been used as green phosphors in various applications.

Gadolinium metal is obtained from its oxide or salts by heating with calcium at 1450 °C under argon atmosphere.

Gadolinium was first detected spectroscopically in 1880 by de Marignac who separated its oxide and is credited with its discovery.