Samarium is element number 62, with the symbol Sm. Its name comes from Samarsky, a Russian mining engineer.
Atomic number 62150.4
SmSamariumサマリウム (samariumu)
Symbol
Sm
Atomic weight
150.4
Place in the table
Period 6 · Lanthanoids
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
A person’s name
Samarium was discovered in 1879 and named after Samarsky, the Russian mining engineer who found the mineral samarskite. It is an early example of an element named after a person.
Where it sits on the table
The fifteen elements from lanthanum to lutetium are called the lanthanoids. On the Room of the Elements table they are in the upper of the two rows set apart at the bottom.
Think about it
Q1Look for elements named after people in the Room of the Elements.
Q2When might a mineral be named after a person?
Q3If you could name an element after someone, who would it be?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — After samarium (1879) and gadolinium (1880), elements named after people become more common among the artificial elements: curium, einsteinium, mendelevium and more.