Samarium is one of the lanthanide elements. It is quite reactive and quickly is attacked by moisture and oxygen from the air. For this reason, the sample is ampouled in a tube, filled with argon. This sample has a purity of 99.9%. The size of the sample shown here is 8 grams, the outer diameter of the tube is approximately 15 mm. The metal crystals have a nice dendritic appearance and somewhat resemble the structure of crystals of thulium.