The praseodymium is a chemical element, of symbol Pr and Atomic number 59.

Praseodymium is a gray metal money of the group of the Rare earths. It belongs to the family of the Lanthanides. With room temperature, it is ductile, malleable and oxidizes slowly with the air. It must be preserved in mineral oil because it strongly reacts with water.

Its name comes from the Greek words prason ( πράσον - “the leek”) and didymos ( δίδυμος - “twin”), because of the green color of its nitrate.

Indeed the chemists believed a long time that the mixture of praseodymium oxide Néodyme was an element until Carl Auer von Welsbach separates them in 1885.

Uses

• Flint: praseodymium uses the composition of the Mischmetal, bases stones with lighter.
• Coloring Glass: it colors glass in green In combination with neodymium, it colors glasses of solar protection to the glasses of welder.
• Coloring for ceramic: the pigments zircon (ZrSiO4) doped with Pr give a bright sharp yellow. In the fluorite (CeO2) praseodymium gives a red color.
• Other uses: in the loving permanent, out of alloy with the Cobalt in substitution of Samarium in the Sm1-xPrxCo₅ phases. In additive in the optical glasses “flint”. Like component of Catalyst in the industry of the Oil.

• refractory Compositions

See too