History/Discovery

Praseodymium was discovered by German chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach in the year of 1885. This chemist was separating praseodymium along with neodymium from the material didymium. This was how it was first discovered, but now the element of praseodymium is usually obtained through an ion exchange process from monazite sand.

Praseodymium isn't found as the free element in nature, but it is found in the ores monazite sand and bastn°site, which are both naturally occurring solid material in which a metal or rare mineral can be removed from it. In this case, the rare mineral being removed from it is Praseodymium. ​

Abundance Of The Element

(values are given in units of ppb (parts per billion; 1 billion = 109)
In Universe
2 ppb by weight
0.02 ppb by atoms

In Crustal rocks
8700 ppb by weight
1300 ppb by atoms

Reactivity/Compounds It Makes

air: In air, praseodymium metal tarnishes slowly while it burns without hesitation to create a praseodymium oxide.
water: This metal is pretty electropositive, and it reacts quite slowly in cold water, but rapidly in hot, then it will form praseodymium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
acids: This metal liquefies willingly in dilute sulphuric acid to form solutions containing the Pr(III) ion together with hydrogen gas, H2.

Use In Life

Praseodymium’s key use is when it is used as an alloying agent with magnesium, which is put through this process so that it can create metals high in strength that are used in aircraft engines.
Also, interestingly this element forms the core of carbon arc lights. Those are used for lighting in studios used in motion picture industries, and also in projector lights.

Interesting Facts

- Praseodymium is in the Lanthanide group on the periodic table
- has a shiny and silver/metallic look to it
- This element has a larger atomic radius than most other Lanthanides.
Fun Link: ​http://www.purposegames.com/game/elements-praseodymium-game

Sources
Gray, Theodore W., and Nick Mann. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.
Winter, Mark. "Praseodymium: The Essentials." Praseodymium»the Essentials [WebElements Periodic Table]. WebElements, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Jefferson, Thomas, National Accelerator Facility. "The Element Praseodymium." It's Elemental. Jefferson Lab, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
McQuarrie, Donald A., and Peter A. Rock. Descriptive Chemistry. New York: W.H. Freeman, 1985. Print.