Metals that are weakly attracted to magnets are known as paramagnetic materials. Paramagnetic materials become weakly magnetized in the presence of an external magnetic field. Such materials have a permanent dipole moment of a permanent magnetic moment. However, when the applied field is removed, the materials tend to lose their magnetism. This is due to the fact that thermal motion randomizes electron spin orientations.
Paramagnetic materials include aluminum, oxygen, titanium, and iron oxide (FeO).
In addition, Paramagnetic materials have a relative magnetic permeability greater than one because they are weakly attracted to magnetic fields (or, equivalently, a positive magnetic susceptibility).
However, Unlike ferromagnetic materials, which maintain their alignment after coming out of the external magnetic field, electrons in paramagnetic materials switch back to their original orientations, with some pointing one way and others the other. Some properties of paramagnetic materials are listed below:
- Paramagnetic materials tend to move from lower field strength to higher field strength in the presence of a magnetic field. That is, such materials are only weakly attracted by the magnetic field.
- When a paramagnetic substance is put in a magnetic field, the magnetic lines of force tend to bend slightly and pass through the material.
- Magnetic induction of a paramagnetic material is slightly larger than the applied magnetic field intensity H.
- The value of permeability of a paramagnetic material is slightly larger than I.
Table of Contents
Paramagnetism Definition
Paramagnetism is a type of magnetism that only exists when a magnetic field is applied externally.
How Paramagnetism Works
Paramagnetism is a weak form of magnetism observed in substances that display a positive response to an applied magnetic field.
This response is described by its magnetic susceptibility per unit volume, which is a dimensionless quantity defined by the ratio of the magnetic moment to the magnetic field intensity.
Paramagnetism is observed, for example, in atoms and molecules with an odd number of electrons, since here the net magnetic moment cannot be zero.
Few features of different types of magnetic materials are listed in the table below:
| PROPERTIES | PARAMAGNETIC MATERIALS | FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS | DIAMAGNETIC MATERIALS |
| Effect of Magnet | Weakly attracted by a magnet. | Strongly attracted by a magnet. | Weakly repelled by a magnet. |
| Behavior under external field | They do not preserve the magnetic properties once the external field is removed. | They preserve the magnetic properties after the external field is removed. | They do not preserve the magnetic properties once the external field is removed. |
| Examples | Lithium, Tantalum, Magnesium | Iron, Nickel, Cobalt | Copper, Silver, Gold |
Importan Definitions
- Ferromagnetism: Ferromagnetism occurs when the magnetic moments in a magnetic material line up spontaneously at a temperature below the so-called Curie temperature, to produce net magnetization.
- Diamagnetism: Diamagnetism is associated with materials that have a negative magnetic susceptibility. It occurs in nonmagnetic substances like graphite, copper, silver, and gold, and in the superconducting state of certain elemental and compound metals.
- Curie temperature: The temperature above which magnetism disappears in the ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic matter.
- Electromagnetism: Is the unified electrical and magnetic field of force generated by the passage of an electric current through matter.
- Magnetic permeability: It is a measurement of a material’s resistance to the magnetic field or the extent to which a magnetic field can penetrate through a substance.
- Spin: It is the magnetic moment or angular momentum due to the rotation of electrons.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Aluminum magnetic?
Aluminum (Unites States English) also known as Aluminum (British English), is not magnetic under normal conditions, owing to its crystal structure. Along with other metals like Magnesium and Lithium, it’s classified as a paramagnetic substance.
In other words, Aluminum is not magnetic; nevertheless, in the presence of an external magnetic field, Aluminum becomes “slightly” magnetic as its electron aligns to the magnetic field.
2. Is titanium magnetic?
Titanium, being a paramagnetic substance, is only weakly attracted to magnets. The presence of four unpaired electrons in its electrical structure is the primary cause of its paramagnetic characteristic.
Related Links
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