Quick answerHolmium (Ho) is a lanthanide with atomic number 67 and an atomic mass of 164.93 (2023), in period 6. It was discovered by Jacques-Louis Soret and Marc Delafontaine in 1878. It is used for surgical lasers and high-strength magnets. Its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f11 6s2.
Holmium is the most magnetic of all elements, used in surgical lasers that cut tissue and in magnets for research.
Key facts
| Symbol | Ho |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 67 |
| Atomic mass | 164.93 (IUPAC standard atomic weight, 2023) |
| Category | lanthanide |
| Group | — (f-block element, no group number) |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | f-block |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f11 6s2 |
| Discovered | Jacques-Louis Soret and Marc Delafontaine, 1878 |
| Uses | surgical lasers, high-strength magnets, nuclear reactor control, spectrophotometer calibration, fibre optics |
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Keep exploring
- Periodic table — all 118 elements
- Promethium (Pm) — another lanthanide, atomic number 61
- Samarium (Sm) — another lanthanide, atomic number 62
- Europium (Eu) — another lanthanide, atomic number 63
- Gadolinium (Gd) — another lanthanide, atomic number 64
- Terbium (Tb) — another lanthanide, atomic number 65
- Dysprosium (Dy) — another lanthanide, atomic number 66
- Erbium (Er) — another lanthanide, atomic number 68
- Thulium (Tm) — another lanthanide, atomic number 69
- Ytterbium (Yb) — another lanthanide, atomic number 70
- Lutetium (Lu) — another lanthanide, atomic number 71
- All lanthanide elements — on the periodic table
Sources & last updated
- CIAAW — Standard Atomic Weights
- PubChem Periodic Table
- Wikipedia — Timeline of chemical element discoveries
- Wikipedia — Holmium
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.