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.
“Samarium diiodide has been used in academia for the synthesis of natural products like taxol, an anticancer agent, but the reagent is not practical for creating products like this on industrial scales,” says Reisman. “The breakthrough is that now we can translate some of these interesting reactions into process development or discovery.”
The samarium reagent has been limited to lab use due to a pesky samarium–oxygen bond that forms during the reactions and renders the chemical inactive. *