Chemists succeed in upscaling a common reagent for industrial level applications

The metallic element samarium, when bound with other elements, is an incredibly useful chemical reagent for synthesizing molecules that can lead to new pharmaceuticals. Discovered in a Russian mine in 1879, the element was named after the mineral it was found in, called samarskite, which itself was named after Russian mining engineer Vassili Samarsky-Bykhovets.