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67Ho164.93

Element 67, a lanthanide

Holmium

Named after Stockholm, it has the highest magnetic strength of any element and powers lasers that break up kidney stones.

At a glance

Symbol
Ho
Atomic number
67
Average atomic mass
164.93
Group
none; it sits in the lanthanide row below the table
Period
6
Family
lanthanide
Electron configuration
[Xe] 4f¹¹ 6s²
Electronegativity
1.23
Common ions
Ho³⁺

On the table

Periodic table with Holmium highlighted123456789101112131415161718123456757-7189-103HHeLiBeBCNOFNeNaMgAlSiPSClArKCaScTiVCrMnFeCoNiCuZnGaGeAsSeBrKrRbSrYZrNbMoTcRuRhPdAgCdInSnSbTeIXeCsBaLaCePrNdPmSmEuGdTbDyHoErTmYbLuHfTaWReOsIrPtAuHgTlPbBiPoAtRnFrRaAcThPaUNpPuAmCmBkCfEsFmMdNoLrRfDbSgBhHsMtDsRgCnNhFlMcLvTsOg

Period 6, in the lanthanide row set below the main table. The other lanthanides are tinted, and every cell opens its own article.

Electrons and bonding

Like the other lanthanides, it gives up three electrons to form the Ho³⁺ ion in most of its compounds.

Properties

State at 25 °C
solid
What it looks like
soft, silvery-white metal
Melting point
1474 °C
Boiling point
2700 °C
Density
8.80 g/cm³

Where it is found

One of the less common rare earths, found in monazite, xenotime and gadolinite.

Discovery and name

Marc Delafontaine and Jacques-Louis Soret saw its spectral lines in 1878, and Per Teodor Cleve separated its oxide in 1879. Cleve named it after Holmia, the Latin name of his home city, Stockholm.

What it is used for

Pole pieces that concentrate the strongest magnetic fields, since holmium has the highest magnetic strength of any element. Holmium lasers break up kidney stones, holmium oxide glass calibrates spectrophotometers, and holmium absorbs neutrons in reactors.

In compounds

Ho₂O₃holmium oxide, a calibration standardHoCl₃holmium chloride