I have a small vial with two small pieces of gadolinium metal. My understanding was that at room temperatures it wouldn't be attracted by a magnet and that at slight lower temperatures (below 68 F) it would be attracted by a magnet. I've also seen a YouTube video where a piece of Gadolinium is put in a bowl of cool water (tap water with a few ice cubes in it) and it is magnetic and then it's put in some warm tap water and it loses all magnetism. I've tried this but my Gadolinium is magnetic at all of those temps. What am I missing?
Do you mean it is not ferromagnetic at those temps? If it is not magnetic at room temp or ice water temp, then cool it some more. Otherwise you may not have a good sample of Gadolinium. Try some freeze spray and let us know what happens. http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produ...ntid=20-3000&gclid=CPvoi4XOuc4CFUQ9gQodv8EF9w
Heat it up with a hair dryer or hot water to see what the Curie point is. Sometimes with experiments at home, you soon find out you need a lab. Again, is it a magnet, or just ferromagnetic at room temp. The Curie point should be 20.25 degrees C.
In the video the guy has a nice sample he can magnetize when chilled. Can you attempt that with your samples. The key issue here may be if it can be magnetized when chilled and not at room temp, instead of the ferromagnetism issue.
Evidently Gadolinium is WEAKLY ferromagnetic at room temp. and can't be magnetized. When cooled it becomes MORE ferromagnetic and can be magnetized.
This is an odd one. Considering where the Gd came from I'd find it unlikely that it was anything other than pure Gd. Yet, it doesn't behave as it seems it should. I put some Gd in ice water and it is attracted to a magnet. I put it is some very hot water and it is still just as attracted to a magnet. It behaves no differently than iron would.
That Gd is ferromagnetic at room temp. isn't that interesting. What is interesting is that you can't magnetize it at room temp. You have to cool it below room temp in order to magnetize it. You can magnetize iron at room temp.
Just for fun I just held a piece of Gd in a match flame and it was still just as strongly attracted to a magnet.
Let me put it this way: Take a sample of Gadolinium,Iron, and Nickel into a walk-in cooler. Use a magnetizing field on all three samples until they are magnets. Take the samples into your living room. The Gadolinium will stop being a magnet at room temperature while the Iron and Nickel will still be magnets.