Dysprosium Hydroxide

See more Dysprosium products. Dysprosium (atomic symbol: Dy, atomic number: 66) is a Block F, Group 3, Period 6 element with an atomic radius of 162.5. The number of electrons in each of dysprosium's shells is [2, 8, 18, 28, 8, 2] and its electron configuration is [Xe]4f¹⁰ 6s². The dysprosium atom has an atomic radius of 178 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 229 pm. Dysprosium was first discovered by Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1886. In its elemental form, dysprosium has a silvery-white appearance. It is a member of the lanthanide or rare earth series of elements and, along with holmium, has the highest magnetic strength of all other elements on the periodic table, especially at low temperatures. Dysprosium is found in various minerals including bastnäsite, blomstrandine, euxenite, fergusonite, gadolinite, monazite, polycrase and xenotime. It is not found in nature as a free element. The element name originates from the Greek word dysprositos, meaning hard to get at.