Magnetism of Gases?

Since metals can be formed into a gas do they still retain magnetic properties if kept as a gas? What elements have the highest magnetic properties? In addition to the last question as a gas if retaining magnetic qualities would the use of negative charged electromagnets be able to control direction if placed in a cylinder without giving the gas the its magnetic properties to allow a usable pressure system this way? I do apologize for my lack of proper research but Im feeling inventive and would like to know real solutions from expert professionals in this department. I Thank You for any time and consideration you may give to this as I will continue my research in hopes to create something unique and useful . Thank You again. Sincerely Wes Grady
- Weslee (age 33)
Mangum,Ok,USA

Gases can have weak paramagnetism or diamagnetism, but they don't have the ferromagnetism that's needed for a strong magnet. the reason is that ferromagnetism is intrinsically a cooperative effect, involving the formation of domains of many aligned atomic-scale magnets. If they don't form that cooperative state, with a magnetic moment far higher than any individual atom can have, their response to applied fields is very small. In gases the atoms just don't interact enough to form cooperative magnetic states.

As for the question about which elements have the strongest magnetic properties, that depends on what you mean. Iron, nickel and cobalt are the only pure elements that form ferromagnets under ordinary pressure at room temperature. Other elements can have stronger magnetic moments per atom, but the interactions in their crystals aren't as good at promoting the ferromagnetic state, whose formation depends on how much the energy is lowered when the spins line up with each other.

Mike W.

(published on 07/01/2015)