Atomic Number: 63 Period Number: 6 Group Number: none
Europium is a moderately hard, silvery metal , which is discovered in 1896. It is a rare - earth element and has 2 isotopes in nature : 151Eu and 153Eu. Europium is found in a variety of ores with other rare-earth elements, primarily bastnasite, monazite and xenotime.
The primary use of europium is in nuclear reactor control rods because of its effectiveness in absorbing neutrons. Europium- doped plastics have been used as laser materials and its oxide used as phosphor activator. But europium does not have any commercial usage because of its high price until now.
Physical and Chemical properties:
Atomic Weight: 151.964
Melting Point: 1095 K
Boiling Point: 1802 K
Density: 5.24 g/cm3
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Ionization Energy: 5.670 eV
Oxidation States: +3, +2
