Gadolinium Atomic number 64 You have no idea Commentary

Geneva—Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac elements

Gadolinium

• Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac
• found a new spectroscopic line in gadolinite.
• He had suspected that something yet undiscovered
• was muddying tests of Mosander’s derivation from cerite.
• De Marignac separated the new oxide from cerite
• and named it for gadolinite after Johan Gadolin.

Atomic number 64

• Gadolinium make good shielding for nuclear reactors.
• Small amounts of gadolinium improves the workability of other metals.
• Gadopentetic acid is given intraveniously as an MRI contrast agent.
• Green gadolinium phosphors were used for color television tubes.
• The gadolinium yttrium garnet has various uses in optical equipment.
• The gadolinium gallium garnet is an imitation diamond.
• Gadolinium’s magnetocaloric effect makes magnetic refrigerators work.
• Gadolinium-153 emits gamma rays for testing bone density.

You have no idea

• You have no idea what this stuff does.
• Most people haven’t the vaguest notion.
• If you’ve never seen it before, if
• you’ve never heard about it, if
• you’ve never read about it, then
• why should you even think of it?
• On the other hand, what if this stuff
• were the key to antigravitation? What if
• it let you save 99% of the energy
• of sunlight? What if it made a rechargable
• battery with higher energy density
• than diesel? Well, you just have no idea.