🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Samarium
• Discovered By: Lecoq de Boisbaudran
• Year of Discovery: 1879
• Category: Lanthanide (Rare Earth Metal)
• Group: f-block
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (silvery-white metal) ⚙️

Samarium is a moderately hard, rare earth metal that oxidizes slowly in air and has important uses in magnets and electronics.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: Sm
• Atomic Number: 62
• Atomic Mass: ~150.36 u
• Valency: +3 (main), +2 (less common)
• Electronic Configuration: [Xe] 4f⁶ 6s²

Samarium is fairly reactive and forms oxides and hydroxides when exposed to oxygen and water.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Samarium gets its name from the mineral samarskite, which itself was named after a Russian mine official, Colonel Samarsky — making it the first element named after a person!

🤔 Interesting Facts

• Samarium is used to make samarium-cobalt (SmCo) magnets, which are super strong and work well at high temperatures. 🧲🔥
• It’s used in nuclear reactors because it can absorb neutrons effectively. ☢️
• Samarium compounds glow under certain light — used in lasers and optics. ✨
• It’s found in minerals like monazite and bastnäsite, often with other lanthanides.
• Samarium plays a role in treating cancer — a radioactive form, samarium-153, helps relieve bone pain in cancer patients. 🩻

🔧 Common Uses

• Magnets: Samarium-cobalt magnets are used in microwave tech, motors, headphones, and aerospace. 🎧🚀
• Lasers & Optics: Used in infrared lasers and optical glass. 🔬🔴
• Nuclear Reactors: Acts as a neutron absorber for controlling reactions. ⚛️
• Medicine: Radioactive samarium-153 is used in targeted cancer treatment. 🧬
• Glass Coloring: Adds yellow or red tints to specialized glass. 🟠

📚 Conclusion

Samarium may be a quiet element, but it has powerful uses in everything from strong magnets to medicine and nuclear science. For students, it’s a great example of how rare earths are essential to modern technology and advanced health care. 🧲🧪🌍