Editing Neodymium (section)

==Occurrence and production==
===Occurrence===
[[File:Bastnaesite - Kischtimsk, Ural.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bastnäsite]]]]
Neodymium is rarely found in nature as a free element, instead occurring in ores such as [[monazite]] and [[bastnäsite]] (which are [[mineral group]]s rather than single minerals) that contain small amounts of all rare-earth elements. Neodymium is rarely dominant in these minerals, with exceptions such as monazite-(Nd) and kozoite-(Nd).<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://www.mindat.org/ |title=Mindat.org |author=Hudson Institute of Mineralogy |date=1993–2018 }}</ref> The main mining areas are in China, United States, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia.

The Nd<sup>3+</sup> ion is similar in size to ions of the early lanthanides of the [[cerium group]] (those from lanthanum to [[samarium]] and [[europium]]). As a result, it tends to occur along with them in [[phosphate]], [[silicate]] and [[carbonate]] minerals, such as [[monazite]] (M<sup>III</sup>PO<sub>4</sub>) and [[bastnäsite]] (M<sup>III</sup>CO<sub>3</sub>F), where M refers to all the rare-earth metals except scandium and the radioactive [[promethium]] (mostly Ce, La, and Y, with somewhat less Pr and Nd).{{sfn|Greenwood|Earnshaw|1997|pp=1229-32}} Bastnäsite is usually lacking in [[thorium]] and the heavy lanthanides, and the purification of the light lanthanides from it is less involved than from monazite. The ore, after being crushed and ground, is first treated with hot concentrated sulfuric acid, which liberates carbon dioxide, [[hydrogen fluoride]], and [[silicon tetrafluoride]]. The product is then dried and leached with water, leaving the early lanthanide ions, including lanthanum, in solution.{{sfn|Greenwood|Earnshaw|1997|pp=1229-32}}{{Failed verification|date=May 2024|reason=Source discusses treatment of both ores with HCl etc to produce LnCl3 but not treatment with sulfuric acid.}}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-right:15px; margin-down:0; font-size:10pt; line-height:11pt;"
|+ style="margin-bottom: 5px;" | Solar System abundances{{sfn|Lodders|2003|pp=1222–1223}}
! style="text-align:center;" | Atomic<br />number
! style="width:45%;"| Element
! style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 10px;" | Relative<br />amount
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 42
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Molybdenum]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|2.771
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 47
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Silver]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|0.590
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 50
| style="text-align:center; "| [[Tin]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|4.699
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 58
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Cerium]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|1.205
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 59
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Praseodymium]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|0.205
|- style="background:#ff9;"
| style="text-align:center;" | ''60''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''Neodymium''
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|''1''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 74
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tungsten]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"|0.054
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 90
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Thorium]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"| 0.054
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 92
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Uranium]]
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"| 0.022
|}

====In space====
Neodymium's per-particle abundance in the [[Solar System]] is 0.083 [[parts per billion|ppb]] (parts per billion).{{sfn|Lodders|2003|pp=1222–1223}}{{efn|Abundances in the source are listed relative to silicon rather than in per-particle notation. The sum of all elements per 10<sup>6</sup> parts of silicon is 2.6682{{e|10}} parts; lead comprises 3.258 parts.}} This figure is about two thirds of that of [[platinum]], but two and a half times more than mercury, and nearly five times more than gold.{{sfn|Lodders|2003|pp=1222–1223}} The lanthanides are not usually found in space, and are much more abundant in the [[Abundance of elements in Earth's crust|Earth's crust]].{{sfn|Lodders|2003|pp=1222–1223}}<ref name="CRC abundance">A{{lc:BUNDANCE OF ELEMENTS IN THE EARTH’S CRUST AND IN THE SEA}}, ''CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics,'' 97th edition (2016–2017), p. 14-17</ref>

====In the Earth's crust====
[[File:Elemental abundances.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|Neodymium is a fairly common element in the [[Earth's crust]] for being a rare-earth metal. Most rare-earth metals are less abundant.|alt=A line chart generally declining towards its right]]
Neodymium is classified as a [[Goldschmidt classification#Lithophile elements|lithophile]] under the [[Goldschmidt classification]], meaning that it is generally found combined with oxygen. Although it belongs to the rare-earth metals, neodymium is not rare at all. Its [[Abundance of elements in Earth's crust|abundance in the Earth's crust]] is about 41&nbsp;mg/kg.<ref name="CRC abundance"/> It is similar in abundance to [[lanthanum]].

===Production===
The world's production of neodymium was about 7,000 tons in 2004.<ref name="history" /> The bulk of current production is from China. Historically, the Chinese government imposed strategic material controls on the element, causing large fluctuations in prices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rare Earths Statistics and Information {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/rare_earths/mcs-2016-raree.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506184123/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/rare_earths/mcs-2016-raree.pdf |archive-date=2016-05-06 |url-status=dead |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=minerals.usgs.gov |language=en}}</ref> The uncertainty of pricing and availability have caused companies (particularly Japanese ones) to create permanent magnets and associated electric motors with fewer rare-earth metals; however, so far they have been unable to eliminate the need for neodymium.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/honda-rareearths-idUST9N18R02G|title=Honda co-develops first hybrid car motor free of heavy rare earth metals|date=12 July 2016|work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-12/honda-readies-heavy-rare-earth-free-hybrids-to-sidestep-china|title=Honda's Heavy Rare Earth-Free Hybrid Motors Sidestep China|date=12 July 2016|newspaper=Bloomberg.com}}</ref> According to the [[US Geological Survey]], [[Greenland]] holds the largest reserves of undeveloped rare-earth deposits, particularly neodymium. [[Mining industry|Mining interests]] clash with native populations at those sites, due to the release of radioactive substances, mainly [[thorium]], during the mining process.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-03-31 |title=Greenland to hold election watched closely by global mining industry |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greenland-election-idUSKBN2BN1U6 |access-date=2023-06-07}}</ref>
[[File:Monazite acid cracking process.svg|frameless|center|730px]]

Neodymium is typically 10–18% of the rare-earth content of commercial deposits of the light rare-earth-element minerals bastnäsite and monazite.<ref name="CRC" /> With neodymium compounds being the most strongly colored for the trivalent lanthanides, it can occasionally dominate the coloration of rare-earth minerals when competing chromophores are absent. It usually gives a pink coloration. Outstanding examples of this include monazite crystals from the [[tin]] deposits in [[Llallagua]], Bolivia; [[ancylite]] from [[Mont Saint-Hilaire]], [[Quebec]], Canada; or lanthanite from [[Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania]]. As with neodymium glasses, such minerals change their colors under the differing lighting conditions. The absorption bands of neodymium interact with the visible [[emission spectrum]] of [[Mercury-vapor lamp|mercury vapor]], with the unfiltered shortwave UV light causing neodymium-containing minerals to reflect a distinctive green color. This can be observed with monazite-containing sands or bastnäsite-containing ore.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Buzhinskii |first1=I. M. |last2=Mamonov |first2=S. K. |last3=Mikhailova |first3=L. I. |date=1971-08-01 |title=Influence of specific neodymium-glass absorption bands on generating energy |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00607297 |journal=Journal of Applied Spectroscopy |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=1002–1005 |doi=10.1007/BF00607297 |bibcode=1971JApSp..15.1002B |s2cid=95996476 |issn=1573-8647}}</ref>

The demand for mineral resources, such as [[rare earth metals|rare-earth elements]] (including neodymium) and other critical materials, has been rapidly increasing owing to the growing human [[population]] and industrial development. Recently, the requirement for a low-carbon society has led to a significant demand for energy-saving technologies such as batteries, high-efficiency motors, renewable energy sources, and fuel cells. Among these technologies, permanent magnets are often used to fabricate high-efficiency motors, with neodymium-iron-boron magnets (Nd<sub>2</sub>Fe<sub>14</sub>B sintered and bonded magnets; hereinafter referred to as [[Neodymium magnet|NdFeB magnets]]) being the main type of permanent magnet in the market since their invention.<ref>Sagawa M, Fujimura S, Togawa N, Yamamoto H, Matsuura Y (1984) New material for permanent magnets on a base of Nd and Fe. J Appl Phys 55(6):2083–2087. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.333572</ref> NdFeB magnets are used in [[hybrid electric vehicles]], [[plug-in hybrid|plug-in hybrid electric vehicles]], [[electric vehicle]]s, [[fuel cell vehicle]]s, [[wind turbine]]s, [[home appliance]]s, computers, and many small consumer electronic devices.<ref name="Yang Yongxiang">{{Cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Yongxiang |last2=Walton |first2=Allan |last3=Sheridan |first3=Richard |last4=Güth |first4=Konrad |last5=Gauß |first5=Roland |last6=Gutfleisch |first6=Oliver |last7=Buchert |first7=Matthias |last8=Steenari |first8=Britt-Marie |last9=Van Gerven |first9=Tom |last10=Jones |first10=Peter Tom |last11=Binnemans |first11=Koen |date=2017-03-01 |title=REE Recovery from End-of-Life NdFeB Permanent Magnet Scrap: A Critical Review |journal=Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=122–149 |doi=10.1007/s40831-016-0090-4 |issn=2199-3831|doi-access=free |bibcode=2017JSusM...3..122Y }}</ref> Furthermore, they are indispensable for energy savings. Toward achieving the objectives of the [[Paris Agreement]], the demand for NdFeB magnets is expected to increase significantly in the future.<ref name="Yang Yongxiang" />