Gadolinium
Disguised as a mild-mannered rare earth, gadolinium is the superman of the elements with superhero properties resulting from its half-full electron shell. It is the final member of the light-group rare-earth elements (LREE), which started at lanthanum, and is filled halfway with 7 electrons that are all spinning in the same direction. With this electron configuration it is able to stop neutrons traveling faster than a speeding bullet, is able to bend water molecules with a single molecule, and able to jump plane domain walls in a single bound.
Applications
- Gadolinium contrast agents are injected into the patient to enhance the clarity of MRI scans.
- Gadolinium-157 is used in nuclear reactor control rods to control the fission process.
- Yttrium gadolinium garnet or yttrium gallium garnets (YGG) are used in various electronic components for communications and radar.
|
Test results(%) |
|
|
Gd/RE |
99.9min |
|
RE |
99.52 |
|
Sm |
0.03max |
|
O |
0.070 |
|
Tb |
0.03max |
|
Dy |
0.03max |
|
Al |
0.009 |
|
Ca |
0.033 |
|
Mg |
0.012 |
|
Eu |
0.03max |
|
Al |
0.009 |
|
Fe |
0.042 |
|
Si |
0.005max |
|
C |
0.015 |
|
W |
0.019 |