Element Research: Samarium
Bonnie May
September 15, 2014
September 15, 2014
Element Selected:
Samarium
Why did you select this element?
I chose to research samarium because I needed an element and Mrs. Parsons told me some facts about it that got me interested.
Basic Info:
Source for Basic Info: periodictable.com
Title: Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements: Technical Data for Samarium
MLA Citation: "Technical Data for Samarium." Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements. Wolfram Research, n.d. Web.
Element Facts Source 1
Source 1 Title: Periodic Table - Samarium
MLA Citation: "Samarium." Periodic Table. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011. Web.
History Facts
1. Samarium is a rare earth element that has the distinction of being the first naturally occurring chemical element to be named after a living person.
2. Samarium was isolated from the mineral Samarskite which was discovered near the small town of Miass in the southern Ural mountains in 1847.
3. Although Samarium was discovered in 1853 by a Swiss chemist, it was not until 1879 that it was isolated in Paris.
4. Samarium, among the other rare earths, puzzled chemists in the 1800s.
5. After the discovery of cerium in 1803, chemists suspected it was harbouring other metals and obtained lanthanum and eventually samarium from it.
Uses Facts
1. Samarium is used to dope calcium fluoride crystals for use in optical lasers.
2. It is also used in infrared absorbing glass and as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors.
3. In common with other lanthanides, samarium is used in carbon arc lighting for studio lighting and projection.
4. Samarium-based magnets are perfect for both headphones as well as electric guitar pickups. 5. Recently developed samarium/cobalt (SmCo5) magnets have the highest resistance to demagnetisation of any material yet synthesised.
Properties Facts
1. Samarium is a rare earth metal with a pronounced silver lustre.
2. It oxidizes in air and ignites spontaneously at 150 degrees centigrade.
3. Samarium has 4 stable isotopes, 3 of which have extremely long half lives.
4. Samarium can be found in several minerals.
5. Samarium is solid at room temperature.
Element Facts Source 2
Source 2 Title: encyclopedia.com
MLA Citation: Samarium (revised)." Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. Web.
History Facts
1. In 1880, a French chemist was studying a substance known as didymium. Earlier chemists believed didymium might be a new element. He believed that at least two new elements were present in didymium.
2. Didymium was separated into two parts known as didymium and samarium and samarium was introduced as a new element.
3. Another chemist found that samarium can be broken into two parts and called the elements samarium and europium.4. The name samarium was taken from a mineral in which it occurs, samarskite. The name of the mineral, in turn, comes from the last name of a Russian mine official, Colonel Samarski.
Uses Facts
1. It can be added to glass for color or special optical (light) properties. 2. It is also used to make lasers for special applications.
3. One of the most important uses of samarium is in the manufacture of very powerful magnets.
Properties Facts
1. Samarium is a yellowish metal.
2. Samarium is the hardest and most brittle of the rare earth elements.
3. Samarium is a fairly reactive metal. It tends to combine with many other substances under relatively mild conditions.
4. It reacts with water to release hydrogen gas. It also combines easily with oxygen and will ignite.
Samarium
Why did you select this element?
I chose to research samarium because I needed an element and Mrs. Parsons told me some facts about it that got me interested.
Basic Info:
- Element Name: Samarium
- Element Symbol: Sm
- Atomic Number: 62
- Atomic Mass: 150.4
- Element Classification (metal, nonmetal, gas): Lanthanide and rare earth metal
- Period: 6 (lanthanoid)
- Group: Lanthanoid
- Density: 7.54 g/cm3
- Atomic Radius: 238 pm
- Melting Point: 1072 °C
- Boiling Point: 1803 °C
- Electronegativity: 1.17
- Electron Configuration: [Xe]4f66s2
- Number of Stable Isotopes (if any): 5
- What does the name mean? (usually in Greek): Late 19th century: from samar(skite), a mineral in which its spectrum was first observed (named after Samarsky, a 19th-century Russian official).
Source for Basic Info: periodictable.com
Title: Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements: Technical Data for Samarium
MLA Citation: "Technical Data for Samarium." Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements. Wolfram Research, n.d. Web.
Element Facts Source 1
Source 1 Title: Periodic Table - Samarium
MLA Citation: "Samarium." Periodic Table. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011. Web.
History Facts
1. Samarium is a rare earth element that has the distinction of being the first naturally occurring chemical element to be named after a living person.
2. Samarium was isolated from the mineral Samarskite which was discovered near the small town of Miass in the southern Ural mountains in 1847.
3. Although Samarium was discovered in 1853 by a Swiss chemist, it was not until 1879 that it was isolated in Paris.
4. Samarium, among the other rare earths, puzzled chemists in the 1800s.
5. After the discovery of cerium in 1803, chemists suspected it was harbouring other metals and obtained lanthanum and eventually samarium from it.
Uses Facts
1. Samarium is used to dope calcium fluoride crystals for use in optical lasers.
2. It is also used in infrared absorbing glass and as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors.
3. In common with other lanthanides, samarium is used in carbon arc lighting for studio lighting and projection.
4. Samarium-based magnets are perfect for both headphones as well as electric guitar pickups. 5. Recently developed samarium/cobalt (SmCo5) magnets have the highest resistance to demagnetisation of any material yet synthesised.
Properties Facts
1. Samarium is a rare earth metal with a pronounced silver lustre.
2. It oxidizes in air and ignites spontaneously at 150 degrees centigrade.
3. Samarium has 4 stable isotopes, 3 of which have extremely long half lives.
4. Samarium can be found in several minerals.
5. Samarium is solid at room temperature.
Element Facts Source 2
Source 2 Title: encyclopedia.com
MLA Citation: Samarium (revised)." Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. Web.
History Facts
1. In 1880, a French chemist was studying a substance known as didymium. Earlier chemists believed didymium might be a new element. He believed that at least two new elements were present in didymium.
2. Didymium was separated into two parts known as didymium and samarium and samarium was introduced as a new element.
3. Another chemist found that samarium can be broken into two parts and called the elements samarium and europium.4. The name samarium was taken from a mineral in which it occurs, samarskite. The name of the mineral, in turn, comes from the last name of a Russian mine official, Colonel Samarski.
Uses Facts
1. It can be added to glass for color or special optical (light) properties. 2. It is also used to make lasers for special applications.
3. One of the most important uses of samarium is in the manufacture of very powerful magnets.
Properties Facts
1. Samarium is a yellowish metal.
2. Samarium is the hardest and most brittle of the rare earth elements.
3. Samarium is a fairly reactive metal. It tends to combine with many other substances under relatively mild conditions.
4. It reacts with water to release hydrogen gas. It also combines easily with oxygen and will ignite.