A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table

114

Lanthanides

Gadolinium

Gd

64

Terbium

Tb

65

Gadolinium, and its mineral ore gadolinite,

are named after the Finnish chemist

Johan Gadolin, who discovered the

element. Gadolinium compounds are used

to obtain clear MRI scans. It is also used in

electronics, and to make rust-resistant steel.

Terbium is named after the village of Ytterby in Sweden.

It is a silvery metal that can be obtained from the ore monazite.

This element has only a few uses. Pure terbium is added

to other metals to make powerful magnets used in sound-

producing devices, such as the SoundBug™. Its

compounds are used to line mercury lamps.

64

65

64

65

93

94

State: Solid

Discovery: 1880

State: Solid

Discovery: 1843

This mineral contains tiny

amounts of gadolinium.

This image of the

brain is clear because a

gadolinium compound

was injected into the

patient’s blood.

MRI scan of the

human brain

This soft, silver y

metal darkens when

L exposed to air.

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The pure metal is soft
enough to be cut with a knife.
This device uses
magnets to turn
any flat surface,
like a window, into
a loudspeaker.
SoundBug™
dev
ice
The mercur y
vapour in this
lamp produces
ultraviolet light when
electrified, and this
is turned into a
bright yellow glow
by terbium.
Mercury lamp
Laboratory sample of pure terbium
114-115_Gadolinium_Terbium_Dysprosium_Holmium.indd 114 12/12/16 5:39 pm