66DyDysprosium162.5001[Xe] 4f¹⁰ 6s²
lanthanide

Dysprosium

Dysprosium is a chemical element with the symbol Dy and atomic number 66. It is a rare earth element with a metallic silver luster. Dysprosium is never found in nature as a free element, though it is found in various minerals, such as xenotime.

Properties

At a glance

Atomic number
66
Atomic mass
162.5001 u
Phase
Solid
Density
8.54 g/cm³
Melting point
1,680 K
Boiling point
2,840 K
First ionization energy
573 kJ/mol
Electronegativity
1.22
Electron affinity
33.96 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity
27.7 J/(mol·K)
Period
6
Appearance
silvery white

Conditions and isotopes affect measured properties. Some properties of short-lived elements are predicted. Electronegativity uses the Pauling scale.

Electronic structure

Dysprosium’s orbitals use a hydrogen-like approximation. Every orbital of each visible subshell is shown: in Shapes as the surface holding half its probability, with light and dark shades for opposite signs of the wavefunction; in Cloud as dots where its electrons are likely to be. Sizes are stepped by shell, like the Shell model.

Electrons by shell
Electron configuration

54 is the [Xe] core total across five shells.

Preparing the orbital view…

66 protons98 neutrons

Dysprosium-164: its most common form in nature, or its longest-lived if it has none. The nucleus is drawn far too big: it’s about 100,000 times smaller than the atom.

States of matter

Turn up the heat

298 KK stands for kelvin, the temperature scale used in science. It starts at absolute zero (0 K), the coldest temperature possible, so it has no negative numbers and no degree sign.

A step of 1 K is the same size as 1 °C, so the two scales are always 273.15 apart. Fahrenheit is different: its degrees are smaller and it starts elsewhere, so water freezes at 273.15 K, 0 °C and 32 °F.25 °C · 77 °FSolid

At this temperature, dysprosium is a solid.

At normal atmospheric pressure (1 atm). The temperature scale is logarithmic. The particle box is schematic: real samples hold vastly more atoms, and spacing and speeds are not to scale.

Ionization energy

Pull the electrons off

Dy

DyNeutral atom · no charge

A neutral dysprosium atom. Removing its first electron takes 573 kJ/mol.

Dysprosium’s outer shell holds 2 electrons. Electron 3 is the first from an inner shell: it sits closer to the nucleus with less shielding, so removing it takes 2× as much energy as the one before. Each dashed line on the chart marks another jump, into a shell even closer to the nucleus.

Shell 1Shell 2Shell 3Shell 4Shell 5Shell 6MeasuredEstimated or calculatedEnergy in kJ/molkJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) is the energy to remove that electron from every atom in a mole of them: about 602 sextillion (6.02 × 10²³) atoms. For a single atom, divide by 96.485 to get electronvolts (eV). Dysprosium’s first electron takes about 5.9 eV.
1001,00010,000100,0001,000,00010,000,000Shell 5Shell 4Shell 3Shell 2×2×1.1×1.7×2.2×4.115101520253035404550556065
Show the values as a table
ElectronShellEnergy (kJ/mol)× previousValue
16573–Measured
261,1242Estimated
352,2092Estimated
453,9781.8Estimated
555,9921.5Estimated
658,9731.5Calculated
7510,6131.2Calculated
8512,2541.2Calculated
9514,6661.2Calculated
10516,4031.1Calculated
11418,5251.1Calculated
12421,6131.2Calculated
13424,9901.2Calculated
14426,9191.1Calculated
15428,9461.1Calculated
16432,0331.1Calculated
17435,3141.1Calculated
18438,4981.1Calculated
19441,5851.1Calculated
20444,8561.1Calculated
21464,0661.4Calculated
22467,7331.1Calculated
23471,6891.1Calculated
24475,8371.1Calculated
25479,7931.1Calculated
26484,1351.1Calculated
27489,1521.1Calculated
28493,4941Calculated
29497,8361Calculated
304102,1781Calculated
314118,8701.2Calculated
324123,0191Calculated
334127,8431Calculated
344132,2811Calculated
354141,6401.1Calculated
364146,6581Calculated
374158,0431.1Calculated
384163,2241Estimated
393278,0711.7Calculated
403288,2021Calculated
413298,9121Calculated
423310,3931Calculated
433321,3931Calculated
443332,3921Calculated
453348,0231Calculated
463359,4081Calculated
473371,6611Calculated
483383,0471Calculated
493415,1761.1Calculated
503425,2111Calculated
513436,4031Calculated
523446,6311Calculated
533477,1201.1Calculated
543488,7951Calculated
553510,9861Calculated
563522,1791Calculated
5721,165,6392.2Calculated
5821,193,5241Calculated
5921,224,3991Calculated
6021,252,9591Calculated
6121,364,6891.1Calculated
6221,398,5551Calculated
6321,441,1051Calculated
6421,469,2841Calculated
6515,956,6784.1Calculated
6616,085,6421Calculated

Successive ionization energies of gas-phase atoms and ions from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database. Solid bars are measured; hatched bars were estimated from nearby measurements or calculated from quantum theory, as is usual for highly charged ions. Electrons are taken from the outermost shell first, a simplification: electrons in different subshells of the same shell also differ in energy. On the log scale each gridline is 10 times the one below.

Compared with other elements

How does it compare?

DysprosiumOther lanthanidesOther elements

Density

8.54 g/cm³40th highest of 99

Dy

Melting point

1,680 K31st highest of 96

Dy

Boiling point

2,840 K47th highest of 97

Dy

Electronegativity

1.2223rd lowest of 96

Dy

First ionization energy

573 kJ/mol22nd lowest of 99

Dy

Elements 1–99 from the reference data; heavier elements are left out because only a few atoms have ever been made, so their bulk properties are predictions. First ionization energies come from NIST. Density uses a logarithmic scale, because gases are around a thousand times less dense than solids; gas densities are at 0 °C and 1 atm. Melting and boiling points are at normal pressure. Everyday temperatures and light sources in the pictures are approximate. Hover over a dot to see the element, or click it to compare.

Keep exploring

Explore the stories, imagery, and reference data in more depth. Properties with no value in the reference are marked unavailable.