64GdGadolinium157.253[Xe] 4f⁷ 5d¹ 6s²
lanthanide

Gadolinium

Gadolinium is a chemical element with symbol Gd and atomic number 64. It is a silvery-white, malleable and ductile rare-earth metal. It is found in nature only in combined (salt) form.

Electronic structure

A stylized shell model. Electrons are quantum objects, not particles following these literal paths. Sizes and motion are illustrative.

Electrons by shell
Electron configuration
4f7
5d1
6s2

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

Properties

At a glance

Atomic number
64
Atomic mass
157.253 u
Phase
Solid
Density
7.9 g/cm³
Melting point
1,585 K
Boiling point
3,273 K
First ionization energy
593.4 kJ/mol
Electronegativity
1.2
Electron affinity
13.22 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity
37.03 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.

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