Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

Main Difference

The main difference between Diamagnetism, and Paramagnetism is that Diamagnetism produces in resistance to the external magnetic field and goes when the external field is removed, whereas Paramagnetism occurs in the direction of an external magnetic field and disappears when the external magnetic field is removed.

Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism

Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

The materials which are not attracted by external magnetic fields are diamagnetic, whereas the materials which have a weak attraction towards magnetic fields are paramagnetic.

Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

Each atom of diamagnetic materials has a net magnetic moment; on the other hand, each atom of paramagnetic materials have their magnetic moment.

Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

The magnetization of diamagnetic materials when the external magnetic field is removed; on the other hand, paramagnetism also lose their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed.

Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

The materials of diamagnetism can be easily separated from other materials because they have repulsions to magnetic fields; on the other hand, paramagnetic materials can be separated by using high-intensity separators.

Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

The diamagnetic materials have no unpaired electrons, while paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons.

Diamagnetismnoun

(physics) a weak form of magnetism that is only observed in the presence of an external magnetic field; due to an induced magnetic field in an opposite direction

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Paramagnetismnoun

(physics) The tendency of magnetic dipoles to align with an external magnetic field; materials that exhibit this tendency become temporary magnets.

Diamagnetismnoun

phenomenon exhibited by materials like copper or bismuth that become magnetized in a magnetic field with a polarity opposite to the magnetic force; unlike iron they are slightly repelled by a magnet

Paramagnetismnoun

materials like aluminum or platinum become magnetized in a magnetic field but it disappears when the field is removed

Comparison Chart

DiamagnetismParamagnetism
The process in which diamagnetic materials are repelled by a magnetic field is diamagnetism.The process in which paramagnetic materials are weakly attracted by a magnetic field is paramagnetism.
Magnetic Moments of Individual Atoms
The diamagnetic materials consist of single atoms which do not have a net magnetic momentThe paramagnetic materials consist of atoms, and each atom have its magnetic moment
Behavior in External Magnetic Fields
Diamagnetic materials bring into line their magnetic fields in the opposite direction to the external magnetic fieldsParamagnetic materials line up their magnetic fields in the same direction as the external magnetic fields
Retention of Magnetism
Diamagnetic materials misplace their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removedParamagnetic materials also lose their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed
Magnetic Properties
The diamagnetic materials do not get attracted to external magnetic fieldsParamagnetic materials weakly attracted to external magnetic fields
Unpaired Electrons
The diamagnetic materials have no unpaired electrons in atoms or ionsParamagnetic materials have unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions
Separation
The diamagnetic materials can easily be separated from many other materials since they consist of repulsions to magnetic fieldsParamagnetic materials separated by using high-intensity magnetic separators
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Diamagnetism vs. Paramagnetism

In the diamagnetism, the diamagnetic materials consist of single atoms which do not have a net magnetic moment; on the other hand, in paramagnetism, the paramagnetic materials consist of atoms, and each atom has its magnetic moment.

Diamagnetic materials in diamagnetism bring into line their magnetic fields in the opposite direction to the external magnetic fields; on the flip side, paramagnetic materials in paramagnetism line up their magnetic fields in the same direction as the external magnetic fields.

Diamagnetic materials misplace their magnetization in diamagnetism when the external magnetic field is removed; on the other hand, paramagnetic materials also lose their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed.

The diamagnetic materials do not get attracted to external magnetic fields, while paramagnetic materials weakly attracted to external magnetic fields. The diamagnetic materials have no unpaired electrons in atoms or ions; on the other hand, paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions.

The diamagnetic materials can easily be separated from many other materials since they consist of repulsions to magnetic fields, while paramagnetic materials separated by using high-intensity magnetic separators.

What is Diamagnetism?

Diamagnetism is considered as the weakest magnet of all the three types of magnetism. All materials on earth are diamagnetic. The diamagnetic materials do not have a magnetic attraction towards other materials.

In the materials of diamagnetism, the magnetic moments of each of the separate electrons in the specific material are canceled out. Whenever a diamagnetic material is put under an external magnetic field, the material forms a specific magnetic field that competes with the external magnetic field, and as a result, the diamagnetic materials get repelled by the external magnetic field.

What is Paramagnetism?

In paramagnetism, the paramagnetic materials have atoms that consist of unpaired electrons, and the magnetic moments of each of the separated electrons cannot completely cancel out, so as a result, the atoms are left with a resultant magnetic field.

In some cases, the magnetic moments of atoms are associated in random directions, so the paramagnetic material as a whole does not display magnetism. Though, if materials are placed in the external magnetic field, then the magnetic moments of distinct atoms can be associated with the external magnetic field and causing the paramagnetic material to become magnetized.

The magnetic field formed by the paramagnetic materials is directing in the same direction as in the direction of the external magnetic field. So if the external magnetic field is switched off, then the paramagnetic material will lose its magnetization. Some examples of paramagnetism are hematite, chalcopyrite, garnet, and Ilmenite.

Conclusion

The above discussion concludes that the diamagnetism, and paramagnetism have differences, and the main difference between these is that the diamagnetism of some materials do not have a magnetic attraction, whereas paramagnetism of some materials have a weak magnetic attraction.