Ferromagnetism versus Paramagnetism

Chemist@

I know that the different magnetic properties arise from the spin of the electron, I also did some determinations whether a molecule is paramagnetic or diamagnetic (using MO theory), but I don't know how to make a difference between ferromagnetism and paramagnetism. Could someone explain it? And one more: In one text I saw that iron is paramagnetic and in another that it is ferromagnetic, what's true? I suppose that the answer for the first question will reveal the answer of the second one. Thanks in advance!

Vanadium 50

Is there something here that is particularly confusing? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramagnetism

Chemist@

Okay, read that. In ferromagnetics the dipoles are interacting strongly in a suficient area to make domains and those domains produce a ferromagnetic. Why and how are the dipoles interacting?
By the electronic structure Fe should be paramagnetic, but "ferro"magnetism refers to iron. Still confused here.

Chemist@

Could someone help, I'll have a test soon?
Are ferromagnetics maybe a subgroup of paramagnetics?

DrDu

In a normal paramagnetic, the dipoles are moving independently from each other, they tend to orient in a magnetic field so as to increase the field strength. In ferromagnetics the dipoles also orient so as to increase the field. However the dipoles are not independent from each other. If dipoles are oriented in some direction, the other dipoles will preferentially orient parallel to these.
Hence if a ferromagnetic is brought even into a very weak magnetic field, almost all dipoles in the ferromagnet will orient in the direction of the field. Hence a ferromagnet will enormously increase the field strenght.
When temperature is rised, the thermal motion of the dipole will counteract the tendency to orient parallel to each other. As some temperature, the Curie point, the ferromagnet will become an ordinary paramagnet.

Chemist@

Thanks for the answer. I guess that ferromagnets can be called a subgroup of paramagnets, as I don't find a way how to differ them, by looking at the electronic structure of a material.
What causes the ferromagnets dipoles to make a domain structure and paramagnets not?

SSJ2

really, it comes down to the spin of the system.

Ferromagnetic implies that all the spin of the electrons point in the same direction.

anti-ferromagnetism is when half of the electrons are pointing in the same direction and the other half are pointing in the opposite direction. essentially canceling them out giving a spin of 0

paramagnetism - spin of the electrons has no order and can point in whatever direction they want. the solid solution of uranium carbide has been reported to have this property

DrDu

I would have problems to invent a more exotic example.

DrDu

Compare ferromagnetism with crystalline solid and paramagnetism with a gas or liquid.
In a crystal you have crystalline domains while a gas or liquid is homogeneous.

Chemist@

Thanks both.
"ferromagnetism with crystalline solid and paramagnetism with a gas or liquid"
Does this mean that ferromagnetism is only exhibited by solids and paramagnetism is only exhibited by gas or liquid? The opposite is impossible?

DrDu

No, but the transition from a paramagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state is a phase transition comparable to the liquid-solid transition. In the paramagnetic states, the spins do not (or only weakly) interact, like the atoms do in a gas or liquid, while in the ferromagnetic state the spins interact so as to orient spontaneously in some direction, analogously to the atoms ordering when forming a crystal.

M Quack

Most ordinary solids that contain unpaired electrons ("magnetic ions") are paramagnetic at high temperature ("high" meaning closse to their melting point). Some of them undergo a paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition when cooled. Some undergo other phase transitions such as antiferromagnetic, charge density wave, or superconducting.

I do not know of any ferromagnetic liquids or gaes.

Ferrofluids are suspensions of ferromagnetic solid particles.

Chemist@

I don't see a way how to distinguish para and ferromagnetics. For example, if I was asked to determine the magnetic properties of the substances: C2, Fe, O2, Al... I could only say (by looking at the electronic structure) that they are para or diamagnetic.Could the ferromagnetics really be called as a type of paramagnetics?

I suppose that the magnetic dipoles(with N and S) in ferromagnets interact with each other similar as the electric dipoles (with + and -). After all it is the same force. By heating the electrons have more kinetic energy so they travel more chaotic, so the magnetic dipoles don't interact so well, making the material a paramagnetic. Is this true?

Dickfore

If your professor did not explain this, then it won't be on the test.

DrDu

Some years ago supercooled ferromagnetic melts were created.

Chemist@

It was today and it was much easier than I thought , ferromagnetism wasn't almost mentioned. Still, I want to understand this topic, so I would need answers for the two last questions I posted:

DrDu

While it is possible in simple cases to decide whether a substance is para- or diamagnetic, ferromagnetism (or other collective magnetic phenomena) is much harder to predict.
The mechanism you are mentioning (i.e. interaction of the dipoles via their magnetic fields) is hardly ever of importance. Rather, the exchange forces between the dipoles are mostly due to the Pauli effect, which penalizes two electrons of the same spin coming close together.