Europium Facts for Kids

A sample of Europium in a test tube

Europium is a chemical element. It has the symbol Eu on the periodic table. It has an atomic number 63, which means it has 63 protons in one atom. It was named after the continent Europe. Its compounds can fluoresce, which means they glow under ultraviolet light.

What is Europium Used For?
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What is Europium Used For?

Europium helps create the red light in old TV screens.

Europium isn't used in as many things as some other elements, but its uses are very special. Most of the time, it's used because it can glow. This glowing property is called phosphorescence.

Europium is added in tiny amounts (called a dopant) to some types of glass. This glass is then used in lasers and other devices that work with light.

Europium oxide (Eu₂O₃) is very important for making things glow red. It's used as a red phosphor in old television sets and fluorescent lamps. It helps other glowing materials work better too. For example, color TV screens used to have about 0.5 to 1 gram of europium oxide!

When europium is in one form, it glows red. But in another form, it can glow in different colors, from ultraviolet to deep red. These two types of europium glow (red and blue), combined with yellow/green terbium phosphors, can create "white" light. You can change the color of this white light by adjusting how much of each glowing material you use. This system is often found in spiral-shaped fluorescent light bulbs. The same three glowing materials are also used to make the colors you see on TV and computer screens.

Europium is also used to make special glass that glows. One common glow-in-the-dark material, besides zinc sulfide, is strontium aluminate with europium added.

Scientists also use europium's glow to study how tiny molecules interact. This helps them discover new medicines. You might even find europium in the special inks used on euro banknotes to prevent fakes.

A very new use for europium (from 2015) is in quantum memory chips. These chips can store information for many days. This could allow sensitive quantum data to be saved like on a hard drive and even sent across the country!

Periodic table