The element praseodymium is a member of the rare earth elements and one of the lanthanides. It is one of the most refractory substances known. Its atomic number is 59 and its symbol is Pr. It was discovered in 1885 in Austria by Carl F. Auer von Welsbach. Its name means green twin. Originally it wasn’t split from neodymium and together they were known as the element didymus which means twins. It is only mildly toxic. It is a solid at room temperatures, with a melting point of 1204 K (931C or 1708F), and a boiling point of 3793 K (3520C or 6368F). Its density is 6.77 grams per cubic centimeter. It is usually obtained from monazite sand.
Praseodymium is soft, silvery, malleable and ductile is more resistant to corrosion in air than some of the other lanthanides. It’s used to colored glass and ceramic yellow. Cigarette lighters contain about 5% praseodymium. As an alloy with magnesium it creates a high-strength metal used in aircraft engines.
The lanthanides are soft silvery metals, whose name means “hidden”. They are very much alike and hard to distinguish from each other. They are members of the rare earth metal group, but many of them are not rare at all. Cerium is more common on earth than Copper. The least common lanthanide is Thulium and it is more common than silver. The lanthanides were discovered in the first half of the Twentieth Century.
The lanthanides have strong refractory effects and are thus used in light equipment and in lenses. They are also useful in lasers, CDs, and as colorants. Their emissions make the color in color television. They also have strong magnetic qualities and can run miniature motors. In this usage the lanthanides have become very common in technology. You also find lanthanides in electron microscopes and superconductors. Samarium is used to make the carbon lights that are in use in the motion picture industry, and are therefore responsible for the movies we see. They also make up the flint for cigarette lighters.
Praseodymium is primarily used in combination with magnesium to make strong metals for aircraft engines. The core of carbon lights is made of praseodymium and samarium. It is added to fiber optic cables to amplify the signal. As a colorant, it adds the color yellow to glass and ceramics.
As a homeopathic remedy, praseodymium is used to treat problems with the lenses of the eye, spleen problems, and colitis. It has the mental state of feeling cautious and hesitant, and careful to look out for problems which arise on any side.
