Last modified on December 8, 2018, at 00:52

Samarium

Samarium
Properties
Atomic symbol Sm
Atomic number 62
Classification Metallic
Atomic mass 150.36 amu
Other Information
Date of discovery 1879
Name of discoverer Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Name origin From the mineral samarskite.
Uses Used in carbon-arc lighting, permanent magnets, lasers, alloys, headphones and as an absorber in nuclear reactors.
Obtained from The chief ore it is found in is monazite.


Samarium is a silvery metal in the lanthanoid group. It is one of the rare earth elements.[1]

It is named after the mineral samarskite which, in turn, was named after Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets, the Chief of Staff (Colonel) of the Russian Corps of Mining Engineers from 1845–1861, thus making samarium the first chemical element to be named after a living person.

References