Page 51 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Es see Einsteinium Europium (Eu)
Element 63.A rare-earth metal (lanthanide) in the Periodic Table. It burns spontaneously in air at just over 150°C. It is about as soft as lead and easy to beat into shape. It is the most reactive of the rare- earth metals, and it readily oxidises in air. It ignites at a temperature of about 150°C.
Discovery
It was discovered in France in 1896 by Eugène-Anatole Demarçay.The pure metal has only recently been isolated.
Technology
Europium is one of the most expensive of the rare earths to produce. It is used in the manufacture of the red phosphors in TV tubes (as europium-activated yttrium vanadate).When it is bombarded with electrons in a cathode-ray tube, it glows red. Europium-doped plastic has been used as a laser material. Europium absorbs neutrons and so is very useful
in the control of nuclear fission in nuclear reactors.
Geology
It is not found as a native element, but in gadolinite, xenotime, monazite and bastnasite ores. It is also found in fission products of uranium, thorium and plutonium. Europium has also been discovered in the stars.
Biology
It is not found in living things.
Key facts...
Name: europium
Symbol: Eu
Atomic number: 63
Atomic weight: 151.96
Position in Periodic Table: inner transition metal;
period 6 (lanthanide series)
State at room temperature: solid
Colour: silvery-white
Density of solid: 5.244 g/cc
Melting point: 822°C
Boiling point: 1,527°C
Origin of name: it was named after Europe. Shell pattern of electrons: 2–8–18–25–8–2
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