Paramagnetism: Paramagnetism is a weak type of magnetism exhibited by materials that are weakly attracted to a magnetic field. Paramagnetic materials have a positive magnetic susceptibility, induced magnetism, temperature dependence, anisotropic nature, and occur in materials that have unpaired electrons.

Properties of Paramagnetism

Paramagnetism is a type of magnetism exhibited by materials that are weakly attracted to a magnetic field. Here are some properties of paramagnetism:

• Positive magnetic susceptibility: Paramagnetic materials have a positive magnetic susceptibility, which means that they produce a magnetic moment in the same direction as the applied magnetic field. This results in the material being weakly attracted to the magnetic field.
• Induced magnetism: Paramagnetic materials do not have a permanent magnetization, but they can be magnetized by an external magnetic field. The induced magnetism is proportional to the applied magnetic field and disappears when the external field is removed.
• Temperature dependence: The paramagnetic susceptibility of a material depends on the temperature. In general, the paramagnetic susceptibility of a material increases with increasing temperature.
• Anisotropic: The paramagnetic susceptibility of a material may depend on the direction of the applied magnetic field. Some materials have a higher susceptibility in one direction than in another.
• Occurrence: Paramagnetic behavior occurs in materials that have unpaired electrons, such as most transition metal ions, some rare earth ions, and some organic molecules.

• Weakness: Paramagnetism is a weak effect and is generally overshadowed by other stronger magnetic properties, such as ferromagnetism or antiferromagnetism.

Examples of Paramagnetism

Paramagnetism is exhibited by materials that have unpaired electrons, such as most transition metal ions, some rare earth ions, and some organic molecules. Some examples of paramagnetic materials include:

• Oxygen: Oxygen is paramagnetic because it has two unpaired electrons.
• Platinum: Platinum is paramagnetic because it has unpaired d electrons.
• Gadolinium: Gadolinium is a rare earth element that is strongly paramagnetic due to the unpaired electrons in its f-orbitals.
• Copper (II) ion: Copper (II) ion is paramagnetic because it has an unpaired electron in its d-orbital.
• Nitrogen dioxide: Nitrogen dioxide is a paramagnetic molecule because it has an odd number of electrons, resulting in one unpaired electron.

• Chromium (III) ion: Chromium (III) ion is paramagnetic because it has three unpaired electrons in its d-orbitals.

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By Team Learning Mantras