Neodymium

Neodymium is a silvery metal from the group called the rare earths. It was found in 1885 when Carl Auer von Welsbach split a substance called didymium into two new elements, praseodymium and neodymium, whose name means new twin. Most of it is mined in China from minerals such as bastnäsite and monazite.

Its biggest job is the neodymium magnet, an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron (Nd₂Fe₁₄B). Neodymium atoms make that crystal intensely magnetic and hard to demagnetize, so a small chunk holds far more force than an ordinary magnet. That is why the speaker in a television can be thin and light. Neodymium also tints glass violet and powers some lasers.