Samarium (Sm)
"The High-Temp Magnet, a hero whose magnetic power can withstand incredible heat."
A memorable persona to anchor Sm in your mind.
7.52
Grams per cm³
1072
Celsius (°C)
229
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Samarium is found in high-temperature magnets used in precision-guided missiles.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1879
Discovered By
Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from samarskite, the name of the mineral from which it was first isolated."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
150.36 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
1794°C
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f66s2
1st Ionization Energy
5.644 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Samarium is a silvery-white, hard metal."
Did You Know?
Samarium-cobalt magnets were the first type of high-strength rare-earth magnet developed and are the second-strongest type after neodymium magnets.
A key advantage of samarium-cobalt magnets is that they can withstand much higher temperatures than neodymium magnets before losing their magnetic properties.
The radioactive isotope samarium-153 is used in a medicine that targets and kills cancer cells, particularly in bone cancer.
Like many lanthanides, it was discovered spectroscopically from the mineral samarskite, which is how it got its name.