Name       : Gadolinium
Symbol     : Gd
Atomic #   : 64
Atom weight: 157.25
Melting P. : 1313
Boiling P. : 3273
Oxidation  : +3
Pronounced : GAD-eh-LIN-i-em
From       : Named after gadolinite, a mineral named for the Finnish
             Chemist, Johan Gadolin
Identified : J. de Marignac (1880) and Lecoq de Boisbaudran (1886)
Appearance : Soft, ductile, silvery-white metal
Note       : Used to alloy with other elements
             
[Properties]

  Gadolinium is described as soft, ductile, silvery-white metal. It is
relatively stable in air, but tarnishes in moist air to produce a white
oxide that eventually flakes off to expose more metal. Gadolinium in in
the middle of the lanthanide series of elements (atomic numbers 57 through
71).
  There are two different crystalline, allotropic forms. The alpha form
is the one that exists at room temperature. The beta form takes place at
temperatures above 1235 degrees. 
  Gadolinium has the capacity for absorbing larger concentrations of
thermal neutrons than any other naturally occurring element. That makes
it an ideal material for control rods in nuclear power generators.