Samarium was discovered in 1879 by P.E. Lecoq and was named after the mineral "Samarskite" which, in turn, was named after the Russian mine official, Colonel V.E. Samarsky. A lanthanide group element, samarium is a silvery-white metal which is found in the minerals allanite, cerite, gadolinite and its namesake, samarskite; it has an abundance on earth of 7.9 ppm. It is relatively stable in dry air but oxidises on contact with moisture. Applications of the metal are limited, but it finds uses in the glass, ceramics and electronics industries and also in the manufacture of permanent magnets (when combined with cobalt).
Foil - Thin sheets of pure metal and metal alloys. Due to their fragile nature, some foils are coated on one side with an acrylic or polyester support. Where foils are supported they are indicated in the detailed item description.
When dealing with foils at 0.05mm or thinner, we offer 2 options: Light Tight tested foils (denoted as LT in our catalogue) or standard untested foils (denoted as Sizes in our catalogue).
When the foil thickness surpasses 0.05mm, there's no requirement for a light-tight test, as these foils become naturally denser and provide a more effective barrier against light.
