Name       : Europium
Symbol     : Eu
Atomic #   : 63
Atom weight: 151.96
Melting P. : 822
Boiling P. : 1527
Oxidation  : +2, +3
Pronounced : yoo-RO-pi-em
From       : Named for the continent of Europe
Identified : Eugene-Antole Demarcay in 1896
Appearance : Soft, silvery-white metal
Note       : The thirteenth most abundant element along the rare earths
             
[Properties]

  Europium looks and feels much like ordinary lead; it is slightly less
heavy, but about as soft and shiny. Chemically, it is the most reactive
of the rare-earth metals. It reacts much like calcium in water, for
instance, bubbling off a gentle but continuous stream of hydrogen gas.
  Europium is one of the lanthanide series of elements. This is a series
of rare-earth elemetns that begins with lanthinum (La, element 57) and
ends with lutetium (Lu, element 71).
  Most europium is obtained from monazite sand, which is a mixture of
phosphates of calcium, thorium, cerium, and most of the other rare earths.
Most of the unwanted metals can be removed magnetically or by flotation
processes. The most difficult part of the process, however, is separating
the rare earths from one another.
  Limited amounts of europium are available from the residue of 
conventional nuclear reactors.
  Like most rare-earth metals, europium can be separated from the others
by an ion-exchange displacement process. The result is an europium ion
that reacts with oxygen ions to form europium oxide. This oxide then
becomes the primary vehicle for the production of europium metal.
  Europium is reduced from europium oxide by mixing it with powdered
lanthanum metal in a tantalum crucible. This apparatus is then fired in
a vacuum oven to produce europium metal and lanthanum oxide.