That tiny magnet on your fridge barely holds a postcard. Now imagine a coin-sized magnet lifting 10 kilograms. That is a neodymium magnet — the strongest permanent magnet on Earth. Without neodymium, there would be no Tesla motors, no earbuds, no wind turbines.
Neodymium is a shiny, silvery metal from the lanthanide family. Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach discovered it in 1885 by splitting a substance called "didymium." The name comes from Greek "neos didymos" — meaning "new twin." This twin turned out to be a true superhero among metals.
The world mines about 30,000 tons of neodymium every year — and demand is surging. It powers magnets in electric vehicles, generators in wind turbines, and billions of electronic devices. A single Tesla car contains roughly 1 kg of neodymium. Neodymium is also the heart of the Nd:YAG laser, the most common solid-state laser, used to cut metal and treat eye conditions. China controls over 85% of global supply, making neodymium a strategically critical resource for every major economy.
Neodymium powder is pyrophoric — it can ignite in air at just 150 °C, and metal shavings spark during machining. But the real everyday hazard is the magnets. Two large neodymium magnets snap together with hundreds of kilograms of force, enough to crush fingers or fracture bones. Keep them far from pacemakers, credit cards, and children. Always store with non-magnetic spacers between them.
A coin-sized neodymium magnet can hold 10 kg. The Nd₂Fe₁₄B alloy is the most powerful permanent magnet in existence — 10 times stronger than a regular ferrite fridge magnet.
Neodymium glass changes color depending on the light! In daylight it looks lavender-blue, but under incandescent lamps it turns pink-red. Neodymium absorbs the yellow part of the spectrum (580–600 nm), tricking your brain into seeing a different hue.
China controls over 85% of the world's neodymium supply. In 2010, export restrictions caused a 10-fold price spike and a full-blown 'rare earth panic' among tech companies worldwide.
A single Tesla Model 3 contains about 1 kg of neodymium in its motor magnets. Global demand grows 8–10% per year, driven by electric vehicles and wind energy.
The name 'neodymium' means 'new twin' in Greek (neos didymos). Carl Auer von Welsbach separated it in 1885 from a substance called 'didymium,' which had been mistaken for a single element for decades.
The isotope ¹⁴⁴Nd decays with a half-life of 2.29 × 10¹⁵ years — that is 160,000 times longer than the age of the universe. Geologists use the samarium-neodymium system to date Earth's oldest rocks.
| Isotope | Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
142Nd | 141.907723 | 27.20% | stable | — |
143Nd | 142.909814 | 12.20% | stable | — |
144Nd☢ | 143.910087 | 23.80% | 2.29×10¹⁵ years | α |
145Nd | 144.912574 | 8.30% | stable | — |
146Nd | 145.913117 | 17.20% | stable | — |
148Nd | 147.916893 | 5.70% | stable | — |
150Nd | 149.920891 | 5.60% | stable | — |
Separation from didymium