Samarium (Sm)
lanthanideSolid
Standard Atomic Weight
150.36 uElectron configuration
[Xe] 6s2 4f6Melting point
1073.85 °CBoiling point
1793.85 °CDensity
7520 kg/m³Oxidation states
0, +1, +2, +3Electronegativity (Pauling)
1.17Ionization energy (1st)
5.643722 eVDiscovery year
1878Atomic radius
185 pmDetails
Samarium is a lanthanide metal with atomic number 62. It is a typical rare-earth element in its trivalent chemistry, but it is also notable for accessible divalent compounds and for the strong neutron-absorbing isotope ¹⁴⁹Sm. The element occurs with other light rare earths in minerals such as monazite and bastnäsite. Its technological importance is concentrated in permanent magnets, neutron control, phosphors, and specialized chemical reducing agents.
Samarium has a bright silver luster and is reasonably stable in air. Three crystal modifications of the metal exist, with transformations at 734 and 922°C. The metal ignites in air at about 150°C. The sulfide has excellent high-temperature stability and good thermoelectric efficiencies up to 1100°C.
The name derives from the mineral samarskite, in which it was found and that had been named for Colonel Samarski, a Russian mine official. Samarium was originally discovered in 1878 by the Swiss chemist Marc Delafontaine, who called it decipium. It was also discovered by the French chemist Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1879. In 1881, Delafontaine determined that his decipium could be resolved into two elements, one of which was identical to Boisbaudran's samarium. In 1901, the French chemist Eugène-Anatole Demarçay showed that this samarium earth also contained europium.
Samarium was observed spectroscopically by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac, a Swiss chemist, in a material known as dydimia in 1853. Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, a French chemist, was the first to isolate samarium from the mineral samarskite ((Y, Ce, U, Fe)3(Nb, Ta, Ti)5O16) in 1879. Today, samarium is primarily obtained through an ion exchange process from monazite sand ((Ce, La, Th, Nd, Y)PO4), a material rich in rare earth elements that can contain as much as 2.8% samarium.
Discovered spectroscopically by its sharp absorption lines in 1879 by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in the mineral samarskite, named in honor of a Russian mine official, Col. Samarski.
Pure samarium is a silvery, moderately hard metal that tarnishes in air as oxide forms on the surface. It has the close-packed metallic character typical of lanthanides and is normally handled as ingots, pieces, powder, or alloy feedstock under conditions that limit oxidation.
The largest distinctive use of samarium is in samarium-cobalt permanent magnets, mainly SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇, which retain magnetization at higher temperatures and resist corrosion better than many neodymium magnets. ¹⁴⁹Sm is an effective neutron absorber and samarium compounds are used in control materials and reactor physics applications. Samarium-doped materials serve in some phosphors, lasers, and infrared-absorbing glasses. Samarium(II) iodide, SmI₂, is an important one-electron reducing reagent in organic synthesis.
Samarium is one of the rare earth elements used to make carbon arc lights which are used in the motion picture industry for studio lighting and projector lights. Samarium also makes up about 1% of Misch metal, a material that is used to make flints for lighters.
Samarium forms a compound with cobalt (SmCo5) which is a powerful permanent magnet with the highest resistance to demagnetization of any material known. Samarium oxide (Sm2O3) is added to glass to absorb infrared radiation and acts as a catalyst for the dehydration and dehydrogenation of ethanol (C2H6O).
Samarium, along with other rare earths, is used for carbon-arc lighting for the motion picture industry. SmCo5 has been used in making a new permanent magnet material with the highest resistance to demagnetization of any known material. It is said to have an intrinsic coercive force as high as 2200 kA/m. Samarium oxide has been used in optical glass to absorb the infrared. Samarium is used to dope calcium fluoride crystal for use in optical lasers or lasers. Compounds of the metal act as sensitizers for phosphors excited in the infrared; the oxide exhibits catalytic properties in the dehydration and dehydrogenation of ethyl alcohol. It is used in infrared absorbing glass and as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors.
Isotopes in Earth/Planetary Science
One possible origin for the Moon is from debris ejected by an indirect giant impact of Earth by an astronomical body the size of Mars when the Earth was forming [436] R. M. Canup, E. Asphaug. Nature412, 708 (2001).. The kinetic energy liberated is thought to have melted a large part of the Moon forming a lunar magma ocean. Samarium isotope measurement results [437] A. Brandon. Nature450, 1169 (2007)., along with measurements of isotopes of hafnium, tungsten, and neodymium [438] K. Righter, C. K. Shearer. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta67, 2497 (2003)., suggest that lunar magma formed about 70×106 years after the Solar System formed and had crystallized by about 215×106 years after formation. 147Sm (with a half-life of 1.06×1011 years) is used to study the formation of potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus-rich rocks [439] J. Edmunson, L. E. Borg. “The formation age of KREEP based on the 147Sm-143Nd geochemistry of KREEP-rich rocks: duration of lunar magma ocean crystallization and similarity to early mars”, in Workshop on Early Planetary Differentiation..
Isotopes in Geochronology
147Sm is used for determining formation ages of igneous and metamorphic rocks via analysis of the minerals which compose them, such as those shown in Fig. IUPAC.62.1 [440] T. Iizuka, O. Nebel, M. McCulloch. Early Crustal Evolution Deduced from a Combined U-Pb and Sm-Nd Isotopic Study of Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills Monazites, The Australian National University (2014), Feb. 28; http://rses.anu.edu.au/highlights/view.php?article=191., [441] K. Rankenburg, A. D. Brandon, C. R. Neal. Science312 1369 (2006)., [442] F. F. Hu, H. R. Fan, S. Liu, K. F. Yang, F. Chen. Resour. Geol.59, 407 (2009)..
Isotopes in Medicine
The radioisotope 153Sm (with a half-life of 1.9 days) is used in medicine to treat the severe pain associated with cancer that has spread to bones (Fig. IUPAC.62.2) [443] International Atomic Energy Agency. Optimization of Production and Quality Control of Therapeutic Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals, IAEA-TECDOC-1114, IAEA VIENNA (1999)., [444] C. L. Maini, S. Bergomi, L. Romano, R. Sciuto. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging31, S171 (2004)., [445] N. Pandit-Taskar, M. Batraki, C. R. Divgi. J. Nucl. Med.45, 1358 (2004)..
Isotopes Used as a Source of Radioactive Isotope(s)
147Sm bombarded with 40Ca produces the radioisotope 182Pb [446] K. S. Toth, D. M. Moltz, J. M. Nitschke, P. A. Wilmarth, J. D. Robertson. AIP Conference Proc.283, 347 (1991)..
Samarium most commonly forms Sm³⁺ salts and oxides. Samarium(III) oxide, Sm₂O₃, is a stable sesquioxide used as a starting material for many other compounds. Halides such as samarium(III) chloride, SmCl₃, and samarium(III) fluoride, SmF₃, are typical ionic rare-earth salts. The Sm²⁺ state is less common but chemically important; samarium(II) iodide, SmI₂, is a mild, selective reductant, and samarium(II) sulfide, SmS, shows pressure-sensitive electronic behavior. Mixed-valence chemistry is known in some solids.
See more information at the Samarium compound page.
Compact samarium metal has low acute toxicity, but finely divided metal can burn and should be kept from ignition sources. Dusts and soluble samarium salts may irritate tissues and should not be inhaled or ingested. Natural samarium is weakly radioactive because of long-lived isotopes, especially ¹⁴⁷Sm and ¹⁴⁸Sm, but its specific activity is low. Reactor-produced or isotope-enriched materials can present additional radiation hazards depending on isotopic composition.
Little is known of the toxicity of samarium; therefore, it should be handled carefully.
Samarium is dispersed in the crust as a minor component of rare-earth minerals rather than as native metal. In soils and waters it is generally present as Sm³⁺ associated with phosphates, carbonates, oxides, and organic ligands. It is not known to have an essential biological role. Mining and processing can mobilize samarium together with other rare earths and, in monazite deposits, with thorium and uranium by-products.
Samarium is produced as part of rare-earth separation rather than from samarium-specific ores. Concentrates from monazite and bastnäsite are chemically processed, and individual rare earths are separated by solvent extraction or ion-exchange methods before conversion to oxides, metals, or alloys. Demand is much smaller than for cerium, lanthanum, or neodymium, but it is strategically important where high-temperature Sm-Co magnets are required. Recycling is limited compared with primary production, partly because samarium is often present in durable, specialized magnet assemblies.
Samarium is found along with other members of the rare-earth elements in many minerals, including monazite and bastnasite, which are commercial sources. It occurs in monazite to the extent of 2.8%. While misch metal containing about 1% of samarium metal, has long been used, samarium has not been isolated in relatively pure form until recently. Ion-exchange and solvent extraction techniques have recently simplified separation of the rare earths from one another; more recently, electrochemical deposition, using an electrolytic solution of lithium citrate and a mercury electrode, is said to be a simple, fast, and highly specific way to separate the rare earths. Samarium metal can be produced by reducing the oxide with lanthanum.
Samarium is a heavy element made mainly by neutron-capture processes in earlier generations of stars. Its stable and long-lived isotopes reflect contributions from both slow and rapid neutron-capture nucleosynthesis. In planetary materials it is lithophile and follows other rare earths into refractory minerals, making samarium-neodymium isotope systematics useful in geochemistry and cosmochemistry.
- Samarium was named from the mineral samarskite, which was itself named after Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets.
- ¹⁴⁷Sm decays very slowly to ¹⁴³Nd and is used in Sm-Nd radiometric dating.
- ¹⁴⁹Sm has one of the largest thermal-neutron capture cross sections among naturally occurring nuclides.
- Samarium-cobalt magnets preceded modern neodymium-iron-boron magnets in many high-performance applications.
- SmS can change from a black semiconducting phase toward a golden metallic state under pressure.
Images
Properties
Physical
- Atomic radius (empirical)
- 185 pm Compare Atomic radius (empirical) of all elements →
- Covalent radius
- 198 pm Compare Covalent radius of all elements →
- Van der Waals radius
- 229 pm Compare Van der Waals radius of all elements →
- Density
- 7520 kg/m³ Compare Density of all elements →
- Molar volume
- 0.0199 L/mol
- Phase at STP
- Solid Compare Phase at STP of all elements →
- Melting point
- 1073.85 °C Compare Melting point of all elements →
- Boiling point
- 1793.85 °C Compare Boiling point of all elements →
- Specific heat capacity
- 0.197 J/(g·K) Compare Specific heat capacity of all elements →
- Molar heat capacity
- 29.54 J/(mol·K) Compare Molar heat capacity of all elements →
- Crystal structure
- Rhombohedral Compare Crystal structure of all elements →
Chemical
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 1.17 Compare Electronegativity (Pauling) of all elements →
- Electron affinity
- 0.156 eV
- Ionization energy (1st)
- 5.643722 eV Compare Ionization energy (1st) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (2nd)
- 11.078038 eV Compare Ionization energy (2nd) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (3rd)
- 23.550081 eV Compare Ionization energy (3rd) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (4th)
- 41.640143 eV Compare Ionization energy (4th) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (5th)
- 62.700216 eV Compare Ionization energy (5th) of all elements →
- Oxidation states
- 0, +1, +2, +3 Compare Oxidation states of all elements →
- Valence electrons
- 3 Compare Valence electrons of all elements →
- Electron configuration
- [Xe] 6s2 4f6
Thermodynamic
- Heat of fusion
- 0.08934031 eV Compare Heat of fusion of all elements →
- Heat of vaporization
- 1.71011 eV Compare Heat of vaporization of all elements →
- Heat of sublimation
- 2.145411 eV
- Heat of atomization
- 2.145411 eV
- Atomization enthalpy
- 2.142302 eV
Nuclear
- Protons
- 62 Compare Protons of all elements →
- Neutrons
- 90 Compare Neutrons of all elements →
- Known isotopes
- 41 Compare Known isotopes of all elements →
- Stable isotopes
- 3 Compare Stable isotopes of all elements →
- Most stable isotope
- Sm-152
- Discovery year
- 1878
Abundance
- Abundance (Earth's crust)
- 7.05 mg/kg Compare Abundance (Earth's crust) of all elements →
- Abundance (ocean)
- 4.5 × 10−7 mg/L Compare Abundance (ocean) of all elements →
Crystal Structure
- Lattice constant a
- 900 pm
Electronic Structure
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 24, 8, 2 Compare Electrons per shell of all elements →
Identifiers
- CAS number
- 7440-19-9 Compare CAS number of all elements →
- Term symbol
- 7F0
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Sm
- InChI Key
- KZUNJOHGWZRPMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Electron Configuration Measured
Sm: 4f⁶ 6s²[Xe] 4f⁶ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f⁶ 6s²Atomic model
Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.
Schematic atomic model, not to scale.
Atomic Fingerprint
Emission / Absorption Spectrum
Isotope Distribution
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 144 Stable | 143.9120065 ± 0.0000021 | 3.0700% | Stable |
| 150 Stable | 149.9172829 ± 0.0000018 | 7.3800% | Stable |
| 152 Stable | 151.9197397 ± 0.0000018 | 26.7500% | Stable |
Phase / State
Reason: 1048.8 °C below melting point (1073.85 °C)
Schematic, not to scale
Phase transition points
Transition energies
Energy required to melt 1 mol at melting point
Energy required to vaporize 1 mol at boiling point
Energy required to sublime 1 mol at sublimation point
Density
At standard conditions
At standard conditions
Atomic Spectra
Showing 10 of 62. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).
Lines Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Total lines | Transition probabilities | Level designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sm I | 0 | 162 | 7 | 11 |
| Sm II | +1 | 635 | 7 | 14 |
Levels Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sm I | 0 | 501 |
| Sm II | +1 | 377 |
| Sm III | +2 | 58 |
| Sm IV | +3 | 24 |
| Sm V | +4 | 2 |
| Sm VI | +5 | 2 |
| Sm VII | +6 | 2 |
| Sm VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Sm IX | +8 | 2 |
| Sm X | +9 | 2 |
Crystal structure data not available
Crystal structure: rhombohedral
Ionic Radii
| Charge | Coordination | Spin | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | 7 | N/A | 122 pm |
| +2 | 8 | N/A | 127 pm |
| +2 | 9 | N/A | 132 pm |
| +3 | 6 | N/A | 95.8 pm |
| +3 | 7 | N/A | 102 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/A | 107.89999999999999 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/A | 113.19999999999999 pm |
| +3 | 12 | N/A | 124 pm |
Compounds
Isotopes (3)
Twenty one isotopes of samarium exist. Natural samarium is a mixture of several isotopes, three of which are unstable with long half-lives.
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144 Stable | 143.9120065 ± 0.0000021 | 3.0700% ± 0.0700% | Stable | stable | |
| 150 Stable | 149.9172829 ± 0.0000018 | 7.3800% ± 0.0100% | Stable | stable | |
| 152 Stable | 151.9197397 ± 0.0000018 | 26.7500% ± 0.1600% | Stable | stable |
Extended Properties
Covalent Radii (Extended)
- Covalent radius (Pyykkö)
- 172 pm
- Covalent radius (Pyykkö, double)
- 134 pm
Van der Waals Radii
- Alvarez
- 290 pm
- UFF
- 352 pm
- MM3
- 271 pm
Atomic & Metallic Radii
- Atomic radius (Rahm)
- 280 pm
Numbering Scales
- Mendeleev
- 23
- Pettifor
- 28
- Glawe
- 27
Electronegativity Scales
- Ghosh
- 0
- Miedema
- 3
- Gunnarsson–Lundqvist
- 6
- Robles–Bartolotti
- 5
Polarizability & Dispersion
- Dipole polarizability
- 192 a.u.
- Dipole polarizability (unc.)
- 20 a.u.
- C₆ (Gould–Bučko)
- 3130 Ha·Bohr6
Miedema Parameters
- Miedema molar volume
- 20.01 cm3/mol
- Miedema electron density
- 2
Supply Risk & Economics
- Production concentration
- 97
- Relative supply risk
- 10
- Reserve distribution
- 50
- Political stability (top producer)
- 24
- Political stability (top reserve)
- 24
Phase Transitions & Allotropes
| Melting point | 1345.15 K |
| Boiling point | 2067.15 K |
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Screening Constants (13)
| n | Orbital | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1.2217 |
| 2 | p | 4.269 |
| 2 | s | 16.2652 |
| 3 | d | 13.7711 |
| 3 | p | 19.5815 |
| 3 | s | 19.9736 |
| 4 | d | 33.7604 |
| 4 | f | 38.4684 |
| 4 | p | 30.912 |
| 4 | s | 29.7076 |
Crystal Radii Detail (8)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | VII | 136 | ||
| 2 | VIII | 141 | ||
| 2 | IX | 146 | ||
| 3 | VI | 109.8 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | VII | 116 | estimated, | |
| 3 | VIII | 121.9 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | 127.2 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | XII | 138 | calculated, |
Isotope Decay Modes (52)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 128 | B+ | — |
| 128 | B+p | — |
| 129 | B+ | 100% |
| 129 | B+p | — |
| 130 | B+ | — |
| 131 | B+ | 100% |
| 131 | B+p | — |
| 132 | B+ | 100% |
| 132 | B+p | — |
| 133 | B+ | 100% |
X‑ray Scattering Factors (508)
| Energy (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 0.18764 |
| 10.1617 | — | 0.19534 |
| 10.3261 | — | 0.20334 |
| 10.4931 | — | 0.21168 |
| 10.6628 | — | 0.22036 |
| 10.8353 | — | 0.22939 |
| 11.0106 | — | 0.2388 |
| 11.1886 | — | 0.24859 |
| 11.3696 | — | 0.25878 |
| 11.5535 | — | 0.26939 |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
7.05 milligrams per kilogram
References (1)
- [5] Samarium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele062.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
4.5×10-7 milligrams per liter
References (1)
- [5] Samarium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele062.html
Sources
Sources of this element.
Samarium is found along with other members of the rare-earth elements in many minerals, including monazite and bastnasite, which are commercial sources. It occurs in monazite to the extent of 2.8%. While misch metal containing about 1% of samarium metal, has long been used, samarium has not been isolated in relatively pure form until recently. Ion-exchange and solvent extraction techniques have recently simplified separation of the rare earths from one another; more recently, electrochemical deposition, using an electrolytic solution of lithium citrate and a mercury electrode, is said to be a simple, fast, and highly specific way to separate the rare earths. Samarium metal can be produced by reducing the oxide with lanthanum.
References (1)
- [6] Samarium https://periodic.lanl.gov/62.shtml
References
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
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The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Samarium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.