Europium

rare metals · glowing elements · chemistry

Makes things glow. Europium compounds are phosphorescent, meaning they absorb light and then glow beautifully. This special property is why europium is used in color TV screens and fluorescent lightbulbs to create red and blue colors that really pop.

Soft as butter. Europium is the softest and least dense of all the lanthanide metals, so soft you can actually cut it with a knife. It's also the most chemically reactive of the lanthanides, which means it loves to react with other elements.

Named after Europe. Scientists discovered europium in 1896 and named it in 1901 after the continent of Europe. It's one of the rarest rare-earth elements found on Earth, making it pretty special and hard to find.

Two different personalities. Most of the time, europium acts like other lanthanides with an oxidation state of +3, but it can also switch to a +2 state. The +2 version is slightly reducing, meaning it wants to change back to +3 because that's more stable and comfortable.

Safe and gentle. Unlike many heavy metals that are toxic, europium is relatively non-toxic and has no significant role in living things. Scientists have found it to be much safer to work with compared to other heavy metals.