Holmium

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Holmium

Holmium is a chemical element with the symbol Ho and atomic number 67.    It is a rare-earth element and the eleventh member of the lanthanide series. It is a relatively soft, silvery, fairly corrosion-resistant and malleable metal.    Like a lot of other lanthanides, holmium is too reactive to be found in native form, as pure holmium slowly forms a yellowish oxide coating when exposed to air. When isolated, holmium is relatively stable in dry air at room temperature.    However, it reacts with water and corrodes readily, and also burns in air when heated. Trivalent holmium ions have fluorescent properties similar to many other rare-earth ions (while yielding their own set of unique emission light lines), and thus are used in the same way as some other rare earths in certain laser and glass-colorant applications.Holmium has the highest magnetic permeability and magnetic saturation of any element and is thus used for the pole pieces of the strongest static magnets.    Because holmium strongly absorbs neutrons, it is also used as a burnable poison in nuclear reactors.ATT provides Holmium and compounds at a competitive price, including Holmium Acetate, Holmium Carbonate, Holmium Chloride, Holmium Fluoride, Holmium Hydroxide, Holmium Metal, Holmium Nitrate, Holmium Oxalate, Holmium Oxide, Holmium Sulfate

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Holmium has the highest magnetic moment (10.6µB) of any naturally occurring element. Because of this it has been used to create the highest known magnetic fields by placing it within high strength magnets as a pole piece or magnetic flux concentrator. This magnetic property also has value in yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) lasers for microwave equipment. Holmium lases at a human eye safe 2.08 microns ,allowing its use in a variety of medical and dental applications in both yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) and yttrium-lithium-fluoride (YLF) solid state lasers. The wavelength allows for use in silica fibers designed for shorter wavelengths while still providing the cutting strength of longer wave length equipment. Holmium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder.

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