Though neodymium is called a rare earth metal, it is quite common, as common as nickel, cobalt or copper. Like every metal, neodymium is very shiny. It is a solid that melts at 1,024 degrees Celsius, or 1,875 degrees Fahrenheit. Neodymium is in a group of other elements called lanthanides, which are like each other in how they behave. When neodymium is dropped into water, it slowly changes into neodymium hydroxide, if the water or the neodymium itself is hot enough, the change is much faster, and the neodymium may explode. In the air, if the neodymium is hot enough, it can catch fire. Like every other metal, neodymium usually wants to get rid of its electrons, so the compounds it forms are usually with elements that want electrons, as oxygen does.