Samarium (Sm) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Samarium element (Sm) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Samarium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to samarium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Samarium element (Information Table)
• Samarium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Samarium
• Properties of Samarium
• Uses of Samarium

Samarium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to samarium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of samarium	Silvery white
Atomic number of samarium	62
Symbol of samarium	Sm
Atomic mass of samarium	150.36 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in samarium	Protons: 62, Neutrons: 88, Electrons: 62
State of samarium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of samarium in periodic table	6
Block of samarium in periodic table	f-block
Category of samarium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in samarium	2, 8, 18, 24, 8, 2
Electron configuration of samarium	[Xe] 4f6 6s2
Orbital diagram of samarium
Electronegativity of samarium (on pauling scale)	1.17
Atomic radius of samarium (van der Waals radius)	229 picometers
Density of samarium	7.35 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of samarium	5.644 eV
Main isotope of samarium	152Sm
Melting point of samarium	1345 K or 1072 °C or 1962 °F
Boiling point of samarium	2173 K or 1900 °C or 3452 °F
Crystal structure of samarium	Rhombohedral
Discovery of samarium	By Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1879

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Samarium element in Periodic table

The Samarium element (Sm) has the atomic number 62 and is located in period 6. Samarium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about samarium

Here are a few interesting facts about the samarium element.

1. Samarium was given its name from the name of its ore “samarskite”.
2. Lecoq de Boisbaudran was the chemist who discovered samarium in 1879.
3. The concentration of samarium in the earth’s crust is around 6 ppm by weight.
4. Samarium is the 40^th most abundant element present in the earth’s crust.

Properties of samarium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of samarium.

Physical properties of samarium

• Samarium has a silvery-gray metallic appearance.
• Samarium has many isotopes and the most abundant isotope is ¹⁵²Sm.
• The density of samarium is 7.35 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 150.36 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of samarium is 1345 K and 2173 K respectively.
• Samarium has a rhombohedral crystal structure.

Chemical properties of samarium

• Samarium is reactive and it tarnishes easily if kept open in the air.
• Samarium metal starts to ignite when it is heated in the air at the temperature of 150 °C.
• Samarium is a reactive metal and so it is found in a compound form with other elements.
• The most common oxidation state of samarium is +3.
• Samarium has an electron configuration of [Xe] 4f⁶ 6s² and it is classified as a f-block element on the periodic table because of the last electron entering in the f-orbitals.

Uses of samarium

Here are some uses of the samarium element.

• Samarium is used in carbon arc lighting which is used in studio lighting.
• Samarium is also used as a neutron absorber in nuclear power plants.
• Samarium is also used in manufacturing of optical lasers as well as glasses that can absorb infrared rays.
• Samarium and cobalt are alloyed with each other to make magnets.

External resources:

1. Samarium – Wikipedia. (2009, June 6). Samarium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarium
2. Samarium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Samarium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/62/samarium
3. Possolo, et al. (2018, January 4). Interpreting and propagating the uncertainty of the standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(2), 395–424. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-0402
4. Emsley, J. (2011). Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
5. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
6. Electronic structure of the elements. (2000, March). The European Physical Journal C, 15(1–4), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02683401
7. James A. M. & Lord M. P. (1992). Macmillan’s chemical and physical data. Macmillan.
8. Bedford, et al. (1996, April 1). Recommended values of temperature on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 for a selected set of secondary reference points. Metrologia, 33(2), 133–154. https://doi.org/10.1088/0026-1394/33/2/3
9. Allred, A. (1961, June). Electronegativity values from thermochemical data. Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, 17(3–4), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1902(61)80142-5
10. P. (n.d.). Samarium | Sm (Element) – PubChem. Samarium | Sm (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Samarium
11. It’s Elemental – The Element Samarium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Samarium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele062.html
12. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/62.shtml
13. Atomic Weight of Samarium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Samarium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/samarium.htm
14. Atomic Data for Samarium (Sm). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Samarium (Sm). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/samariumtable1.htm