Here is a brief description of gadolinium. Gadolinium is silvery white, has a metallic lustre, and is is malleable and ductile. The metal reacts slowly with water and is soluble in dilute acid.
Gadolinium has the highest thermal neutron capture cross-section of any known element.
Here is a brief summary of the isolation of gadolinium. Gadolinium metal is available commercially so it is not normally necessary to make it in the laboratory, which is just as well as it is difficult to separate it from as the pure metal. This is largely because of the way it is found in nature. The lanthanoids are found in nature in a number of minerals. The most important are xenotime, monazite, and bastnaesite.