Difference Between Dia Para and Ferromagnetic Materials

Key Difference – Dia vs Para vs Ferromagnetic Materials

Based on the magnetic properties, materials can be divided into five main categories; diamagnetic, paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic. The key difference between diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials is that diamagnetic materials are not attracted to an external magnetic field, and paramagnetic materials are attracted to an external magnetic field whereas ferromagnetic materials are strongly attracted to an external magnetic field.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Diamagnetic Materials
3. What are Paramagnetic Materials
4. What are Ferromagnetic Materials
5. Side by Side Comparison – Dia vs Para vs Ferromagnetic Materials in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What are Diamagnetic Materials?

Diamagnetic materials are materials that do not attract to an external magnetic field. That is because the atoms or ions present in these materials do not have unpaired electrons. Therefore, diamagnetic materials are repelled by magnetic fields. That happens because an induced magnetic field is created in these materials to the opposite direction to that of the external magnetic field. This induced magnetic field causes the creation of a repulsive force. Diamagnetism can be observed in materials that have symmetry of electronic structure and no permanent magnetic moment. And also, the diamagnetism is not dependent on the temperature.

Figure 01: The effect of an External Magnetic Field on Diamagnetic Materials

Some examples of diamagnetic materials include;

1. Quartz (silicon dioxide)
2. Calcite (calcium carbonate)
3. Water

For example in quartz, there are silicone atoms and oxygen atoms in the form of SiO₂. The oxidation state of Si atom is +4, and the oxidation state of O atom is -2. Therefore, there are no unpaired electrons in both these atoms.

What are Paramagnetic Materials?

Paramagnetic materials are materials that are attracted to an external magnetic field. This happens because these materials have unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions present in these materials. These unpaired electrons can create magnetic attraction.

Figure 02: Garnet

Paramagnetic materials can  be separated from other materials using high-intensity magnetic separators. These separators use a magnetic field with a strength of 0.2-0.4 Tesla. Some examples of paramagnetic materials include;

1. Ilmenite (FeTiO₃)
2. Hematite (Fe₂O₃)
3. Chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂)
4. Garnet (Fe-silicates)

What are Ferromagnetic Materials?

Ferromagnetic materials are materials that are strongly attracted to an external magnetic field. This type of materials has more unpaired electrons in their metal atoms or metal ions. When this type of materials is attracted to an external magnetic field, they get induced magnetically and can behave as tiny magnets. In industrial scale, ferromagnetic materials are separated from other materials using low-intensity magnetic separators that use a magnetic field with 0.04 Tesla.

Figure 03: Magnetite

The most common magnetic separator is induced magnetic roll separator. Some examples of ferromagnetic materials include;

1. Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) – there are both Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ Both these ions have unpaired electrons.

2. Iron (Fe)

What is the Difference Between Dia Para and Ferromagnetic Materials?

Summary – Dia vs Para vs Ferromagnetic Materials

Diamagnetic materials can easily be separated from other materials since they show repulsive forces towards magnetic fields. Paramagnetic materials and ferromagnetic materials can be separated using induced roll magnetic separators by changing the strength of the magnetic field used in the separator. The difference between diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials is that diamagnetic materials are not attracted to an external magnetic field, and paramagnetic materials are attracted to an external magnetic field whereas ferromagnetic materials are strongly attracted to an external magnetic field.

Reference:

1. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Diamagnetism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Nov. 2015. Available here 
2. “Paramagnetism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Apr. 2018. Available here 
3. Libretexts. “Magnetic Properties.” Chemistry LibreTexts, Libretexts, 5 May 2017. Available here  

Image Courtesy:

1.’Diamagnetic material interaction in magnetic field’By Nitianabhigyan – Own work, (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia 
2.’Garnet Andradite20’By Moha112100 – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia 
3.’Magnetite-118736’By Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia 

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