Praseodymium

Symbol: Pr

Atomic Number: 59

Atomic Weight: 140.907

Praseodymium (atomic number 59, symbol Pr) is a metal discovered in 1885 by the German inventor, scientist, and chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. It was in 1931 when the element was isolated in a relatively pure form. Today, the metal is obtained from bastnasite and monazite sand, and the main mining sites and found in the United States, China, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The top producers of praseodymium are Brazil, Russia, and China. The major producer is China, and the estimated reserves are at about 2 million tonnes.

Solvent extraction and ion exchange are the main methods...Read More