Name: Anonymous 2010-05-23 0:36
#63, Europium, Eu: The name derives from Europe, the name of the continent of its discovery. The European (French) Eugène-Anatole Demarçay was the first to isolate a simple compound form of the element (europium oxide), and named the compound europia and the element europium (though europium itself wasn’t isolated until years later).
Europium’s popular uses involve giving substances the ability to luminesce (glow). Cathode ray tubes (as in televisions) were improved in 1964 when europium (III) oxide as a phosphor ingredient produced a much more intense red glow than was previously available, allowing for brighter colour picture tubes to be made (bright green and blue phosphors were already available, but not used because they would overwhelm the weaker red). Various fluorescent lights make use of europium phosphor mixed with other phosphors to help them emit light that seems natural. The phenomenon of fluorescence itself was named for being observed as a bright blue glow in fluorite samples, although it was the then unknown europium, specifically europium (II) ions, contained in the fluorite (as impurity) that was responsible. Although the chemicals responsible for the luminescent properties of the euro bank notes are kept secret, in 2002 scientists reported that europium was certainly an ingredient. Europium is also part of some of the chemical materials that are used for making glow-in-the-dark novelties.
http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=6d89781c4d6a42269eeae4e38faed2af&keyword=europium
Europium’s popular uses involve giving substances the ability to luminesce (glow). Cathode ray tubes (as in televisions) were improved in 1964 when europium (III) oxide as a phosphor ingredient produced a much more intense red glow than was previously available, allowing for brighter colour picture tubes to be made (bright green and blue phosphors were already available, but not used because they would overwhelm the weaker red). Various fluorescent lights make use of europium phosphor mixed with other phosphors to help them emit light that seems natural. The phenomenon of fluorescence itself was named for being observed as a bright blue glow in fluorite samples, although it was the then unknown europium, specifically europium (II) ions, contained in the fluorite (as impurity) that was responsible. Although the chemicals responsible for the luminescent properties of the euro bank notes are kept secret, in 2002 scientists reported that europium was certainly an ingredient. Europium is also part of some of the chemical materials that are used for making glow-in-the-dark novelties.
http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=6d89781c4d6a42269eeae4e38faed2af&keyword=europium