Periodic Table

Gadolinium

Lanthanide

Quick Facts about Gadolinium

Eu
  • solid- state of matter at room temperature
  • Stable- has at least one stable isotope
  • +3- common oxidation states in compounds
  • HEX- crystal structure, atomic arrangement in solid form
Tb

Gadolinium (Gd) is element 64 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Gd: 157.2500 u. Gd is in period 6. Melting point of Gd: 1585.00 K.Density of Gd: 7.90 g/cm³.

Why Gadolinium Matters

Gadolinium in everyday life and industry

In Your Home

  • Some LED and display phosphors contain gadolinium compounds

Industry Uses

MedicalMRI contrast agents—Gd3+ shortens T1 relaxation time, brightening images
NuclearReactor control and emergency shutdown rods (enormous neutron cross-section)
ElectronicsMagneto-optical recording media and magnetocaloric refrigeration research

In Your Body

✗ Not essential

Gadolinium contrast agents enhance MRI images

Safety: Free Gd3+ is highly toxic. Chelated forms (e.g., Gd-DTPA) are used safely in millions of MRI scans. Kidney patients can develop nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF)—a serious contraindication.

Discovery of Gadolinium

Discovered by Jean de Marignac in Switzerland, 1880

Name origin: Named after the mineral gadolinite.

History & Events

1880
Named after Johan Gadolin, who discovered yttrium
1880
First element named after a scientist
1880
Discovered in 1880 by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac
1880
Gadolin never worked with gadolinium himself

About Gadolinium

Silvery lanthanide with remarkable magnetic properties—ferromagnetic below 20°C (Curie point). Seven stable isotopes. Gd-155 and Gd-157 have the highest neutron capture cross-sections of any stable nuclides (~61,000 and ~254,000 barns). Named after gadolinite mineral, honoring Johan Gadolin. Discovered 1880 by Marignac.

Atomic Properties of Gd

Atomic Number of Gd
64
Atomic Mass of Gd
157.2500 u
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f7 5d1 6s2
Electronegativity
1.20
Block
f-block
Group
Period
6

Physical Properties of Gd

Phase (STP)
solid
Melting Point of Gd
1585.00 K
Boiling Point of Gd
3273.00 K
Density of Gd
7.9000 g/cm3

Thermal Properties

Heat of Vaporization
398.00 kJ/mol
Specific Heat
0.24 J/g·K
Molar Heat Capacity
37.03 J/mol·K

Atomic Radii

Calculated
180 pm
Covalent
169 pm
Van der Waals
234 pm

Common Misconceptions

Wrong:MRI contrast is a 'dye' that colors tissues.
Correct:Gadolinium doesn't color anything—it's paramagnetic, shortening T1 relaxation times so water near it appears brighter. It affects magnetism, not color.
Wrong:Gadolinium contrast is completely safe for everyone.
Correct:Patients with kidney disease can develop nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), a serious fibrotic condition. Screening kidney function before Gd contrast is now standard.
Wrong:Gadolinium was named after the scientist who discovered it.
Correct:Named after the mineral gadolinite, which honored Johan Gadolin—who discovered yttrium, not gadolinium. Marignac discovered gadolinium 30 years after Gadolin's death.

Isotopes of Gadolinium

Gadolinium has 7 naturally occurring isotopes, plus 1 notable radioactive isotope.

IsotopeAtomic Mass (u)AbundanceHalf-LifeDecay Mode
15264Gd (Gd-152)Gadolinium-152 isotope151.91979950.2000%
15364Gd (Gd-153)Gadolinium-153 isotope152.92176530%240.4 daysEC
15464Gd (Gd-154)Gadolinium-154 isotope153.92087412.180%
15564Gd (Gd-155)Gadolinium-155 isotope154.922630514.80%
15664Gd (Gd-156)Gadolinium-156 isotope155.922131220.47%
15764Gd (Gd-157)Gadolinium-157 isotope156.923968615.65%
15864Gd (Gd-158)Gadolinium-158 isotope157.924112324.84%
16064Gd (Gd-160)Gadolinium-160 isotope159.927062421.86%

Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)

Isotope Applications

Isotopes of Gadolinium have important real-world applications in science and industry.

Medical Applications

The addition of 157Gd to Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) has been shown to be more effective at targeting tumors than the previous method of using only 10B for the treatment (Fig. IUPAC.64.2) [453]. 153Gd (with a half-life of 0.66 years) is used in the production of photon line sources (an optical source that emits one or more spectrally narrow lines as opposed to a continuous spectrum) to manufacture 153Gd line sources [454]. 153Gd is also used as a photon source of the dual-photon absorptiometry (DPA) technique that is used to measure bone mineral content (BMC). Studies for this technique have been conducted in horses and humans [455], [456].

Abundance

Earth's Crust
6.2 mg/kg
Seawater
7.00×10-7 mg/L

Uses

Used in steel alloying agents and the manufacture of electronic components.

Sources

Found with other rare earths in gadolinite and monazite sand.

Geochemistry

Goldschmidt
litophile
Geochemical Class
rare earth & related

Test Your Knowledge

Loading quiz...