Europium

Name: Europium
Symbol: Eu
Atomic Number: 63
Mass fraction of the earth’s shell: 0,099 ppm
Melting Point: 822 °C
Boiling Point: 1529 °C
Electrical Conductivity: 1,2 · 106 A·V−1·m−1   

Name: Europium
Symbol: Eu
Atomic Number: 63
Mass fraction of the earth’s shell: 0,099 ppm
Melting Point: 822 °C
Boiling Point: 1529 °C
Electrical Conductivity: 1,2 · 106 A·V−1·m−1   

 

HISTORY

Eugène Anatole Demarçay
Eugène Anatole Demarçay

When Sir William Crookes discovered the mineral samarskite in 1886, he found an unknown line in the spectrum of a product. This was the first clue to europium.

The actual discovery of the element took place 15 years later in Paris by the French chemist Eugène Anatole Demarçay. Because numerous European chemists were involved in the discovery and the difficult detection, it was called europium.

CHRACTERISTICS & EXTRACTION

This most chemically reactive rare earth metal is soft, ductile, and malleable. Together with promethium, it is the rarest element of the lanthanides. It oxidises quickly in air, and weak acids and water dissolve it. Heated europium burns into chlorine. If it is heated to 150°C, it ignites and burns to form sesquioxide Eu2O3. If it comes into contact with water, it becomes hydroxide. The element is isolated by metallothermy.

Europium has a wide range of technical applications. For example, it is used in cathode ray tube screens, fluorescent lamps, and plasma screens. Europium is also needed for the luminescent materials used in aircraft instruments.

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