Element category: lanthanide
Gadolinium is a soft, silvery, malleable and ductile metal, a member of the lanthanide group of the periodic table.
Gadolinium has no large-scale applications but has a variety of specialized uses. For example, gadolinium metal can improve the workability and resistance to high temperature of several alloys; gadolinium can be used in neutron therapy; gadolinium alloys are used to make magnets and electronic components, etc.
Like most rare earths, gadolinium forms trivalent ions which have fluorescent properties. Gadolinium (III) compounds are used for making green phosphorous for color TV tubes.