Periodic TableAll elementsSamarium
No. 062
Sm
150.36 u
Element · Lanthanide

Samarium

Samarium (钐, symbol Sm) is chemical element number 62, a Lanthanide in period 6 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 150.36. Hard silvery rare earth. Used in powerful samarium-cobalt magnets and cancer treatment.

Period 6Group —[Xe] 4f⁶ 6s²

Properties

Atomic number62
SymbolSm
Atomic mass150.36 u
CategoryLanthanide
Period6
Group
Electron configuration[Xe] 4f⁶ 6s²
Electronegativity1.17
Covalent radius198 pm
Density7.52 g/cm³
Melting point1345 K
Boiling point2067 K
DiscoveryLecoq de Boisbaudran, 1879

Overview

Hard silvery rare earth. Used in powerful samarium-cobalt magnets and cancer treatment. Samarium (Sm) is a Lanthanide with atomic number 62, located in period 6. As a lanthanide (rare-earth) element it closely resembles its neighbours and serves in magnets, phosphors and catalysts.

Its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f⁶ 6s², with 2 electrons in the outer shell, and an electronegativity of about 1.17 (Pauling). Around 25 °C it is usually a solid; it melts near 1345 K (1071.9 °C), boils near 2067 K (1793.9 °C), has a density around 7.52 g/cm³.

In industry and daily life it turns up in Electronics / Semiconductors and Nuclear. It was first described by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1879. See more trends in the visualization center.

Electron shells

Sm62

Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 24 · 8 · 2

Main uses

Hazard

LowNo special hazard flags.

Compounds containing Samarium

No compounds in this knowledge base contain Samarium yet.

Data sources

Atomic mass uses IUPAC (CIAAW) standard atomic weights; the covalent radius is from Cordero et al. (2008). Verify on the RSC Periodic Table, PubChem and Wikipedia. Educational reference only.