paramagnetism

Examples of paramagnetism in the following topics:

• Paramagnetism and Diamagnetism

  • Paramagnetism is the attraction of material while in a magnetic field, and diamagnetism is the repulsion of magnetic fields.
  • Paramagnetism is a form of magnetism whereby the paramagnetic material is only attracted when in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field.
  • Paramagnetic materials have a small, positive susceptibility to magnetic fields.
  • Paramagnetic materials include magnesium, molybdenum, lithium and tantalum.
  • Some paramagnetic materials retain spin disorder at absolute zero (meaning they are paramagnetic in the ground state).

• Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism

  • Diamagnetic atoms have only paired electrons, whereas paramagnetic atoms, which can be made magnetic, have at least one unpaired electron.
  • Electrons that are alone in an orbital are called paramagnetic electrons.
  • Therefore, an atom is considered to be paramagnetic when it contains at least one paramagnetic electron.
  • In other words, an atom could have 10 paired (diamagnetic) electrons, but as long as it also has one unpaired (paramagnetic) electron, it is still considered a paramagnetic atom.
  • Paramagnetic properties are due to the realignment of the electron paths caused by the external magnetic field.

• Transition Metals

  • The formation of many paramagnetic compounds due to the presence of unpaired d electrons.
  • A few compounds of main group elements are also paramagnetic (e.g., nitric oxide, oxygen).
  • Transition metal compounds are paramagnetic when they have one or more unpaired d electrons.
  • Ferromagnetism occurs when individual atoms are paramagnetic and the spin vectors are aligned parallel to each other in a crystalline material.

• Physical Properties and Atomic Size

  • These include the formation of compounds whose color is due to d–d electronic transitions and the formation of many paramagnetic compounds due to the presence of unpaired d electrons.
  • Transition metal compounds are paramagnetic when they have one or more unpaired d electrons.
  • Ferromagnetism occurs when individual atoms are paramagnetic and the spin vectors are aligned parallel to each other in a crystalline material.

• Detection and Observation of Radicals

  • The same unpaired or odd electron that renders most radical intermediates unstable and highly reactive may be induced to leave a characteristic "calling card" by a magnetic resonance phenomenon called "electron spin resonance" (esr) or "electron paramagnetic resonance" (epr).

• Electron Configurations and Magnetic Properties of Ions

  • Some are attracted to a magnetic field (paramagnetism); others are repulsed by it (diamagnetism); still others have a much more complex relationship with an applied magnetic field (e.g., spin-glass behavior and antiferromagnetism).
  • If the ionization of an element yields an ion with unpaired electrons, these electrons may align the sign of their spins in the presence of a magnetic field, making the material paramagnetic.

• The Third Law of Thermodynamics and Absolute Energy

  • Materials that remain paramagnetic at absolute zero, by contrast, may have many nearly-degenerate ground states, as in a spin glass, or may retain dynamic disorder, as is the case in a spin liquid.

• Lanthanides and Actinides

  • All actinides are radioactive, paramagnetic, and, with the exception of actinium, have several crystalline phases.

• Manganese

  • Manganese metal and its common ions are paramagnetic.

• Chromium

  • Above 38 °C, it transforms into a paramagnetic state.