My Element Web Page

Europium's atomic number is sixty-three. It shows the red in your TV. It has a silvery color, but don't be fooled by its metallic shine, if you eat it, it would kill you in no time.

General Information	Uses and Alloys	History
Reactivity	Fun Facts	Lanthanides (rare earth metals)

General Information
Number	63
Symbol	Eu
AMU	151.96
Family	Lanthanide
Tarnish speed	Quickly
State at room temperature	Solid
Category	Metal
Melting point	826*C
Boiling point	1489*C
Appearance	Bright, white ~ silver color
Abundance	Not abundant on the earth's surface
Electron shells	6 electron shells
Valence electrons	2 valence electrons
Reacts with	Oxygen often

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Uses and Alloys

Europium oxide is used a lot of different things. Europium oxide is Europium and oxygen bonded together. For more information on Oxygen click here. The red color we see in TV's, Computer screens, cell phones, and ipods is produced by Europium Oxide phosphor. Europium is also used in fluorescent lights to make them more energy efficient. Europium Oxide is used in printing postage stamps. Europium phosphors make it possible for the machines to “read” the value of the stamp, and then the machine will tell if the stamp is enough money for the letter to be sent on. If it doesn’t have enough money, then the letter is sent back. It is used in certain alloys to produce super conductors. It is also used in nuclear power plants because it absorbs more neutrons then any other element.

The picture to the left is of Europium Oxide. If you put your mouse on it, it turns into a red TV screen, showing the effect of phosphors.

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History

Europium was purified in 1901 by a French chemist Eugéne Anatole Demarcay. He named it after the continent of Europe hence the name Europium. It was discovered before 1901 in alloys, combined with other lanthanides. It has been very hard to separate until recently. Demarcay was studying samarium in 1901, an element that had just been discovered. He found that what he was studying was not one element, but two. He gave the name samarium to one, and europium to the other. A century before that, an alloy was discovered near the town of Bastnas, Sweeden. This alloy was named cerite. Europium was one of the many elements in cerite.

Reactivity

Europium is the most reactive in the lanthanides. It has two valence electrons and in temperatures above 150*C it reacts with oxygen in the air and ignites; in consequence, you must me very careful when handling the element. It also often reacts with water, producing hydrogen and bonding with the oxygen. The europium phosphor is red. A phosphor is a material that shines when it is hit with electrons. The color of the phosphor depends on what elements are in it.

Fun Facts

Europium is poisonous. The Ores containing europium are monazite and bastinasite. It is pretty expensive to produce. It is very ductile and is about the softness of lead. It must be stored in oil because it can react with the oxygen in the air. It absorbs more neutrons than any other element and it has two valence electrons.

Lanthanides (rare earth metals)

They are not “rare” but originally they were very hard to separate out from their compounds. They are located at the bottom of the periodic table. The first element in the Lanthanide series is Lanthanum, hence the name of the Lanthanides. All of the Lanthanides have six electron shells.

Glossary
Tarnish	Discoloration of a metal surface caused by corrosion or oxidation. Also know as rust.
Alloy	A mixture of two or more elements, one of which is a metal.
Phosphor	A material that shines when it is hit with electrons.
Valence Electrons	The electrons that are in the highest energy level, and are involved in chemical reactions.
Ductile	A term used to describe something that can be pulled into a long wire.
Ores	A naturaly occurring deposit of metals.
Neutrons	A neutrally charged particle in the nucleus of the atom.
Electron shells	The energy levels in the atom.

Bibliography
1)	Beatty, Richard. The Lanthanides (Elements). New York: Benchmark Books (NY), 2007.
2)	Newton, David E. Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker. Vol. 1. A-F. Farmington Hills: UXL, 1999.
3)	Ron, Miller,. The Elements What You Really Want to Know. Minneapolis, Minn: Twenty-First Century Books, 2006.
4)	Stwertka, Albert. A Guide to the Elements. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.
5)	"Europium (Eu) - Chemical properties, Health and Environmental effects." Water treatment & Air Purification systems. 17 Mar. 2009 <http://www.lenntech.com/periodic-chart-elements/eu-en.htm>.
6)	"It's Elemental - The Element Europium." Science Education at Jefferson Lab. 17 Mar. 2009 <http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele063.html>.

A link to the Oxygen webpage, because Europium bonds with it often.