Europium (Eu) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Europium element (Eu) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Europium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to europium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Europium element (Information Table)
• Europium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Europium
• Properties of Europium
• Uses of Europium

Europium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to europium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of europium	Silvery white metallic appearance with pale yellow tint
Atomic number of europium	63
Symbol of europium	Eu
Atomic mass of europium	151.96 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in europium	Protons: 63, Neutrons: 89, Electrons: 63
State of europium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of europium in periodic table	6
Block of europium in periodic table	f-block
Category of europium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in europium	2, 8, 18, 25, 8, 2
Electron configuration of europium	[Xe] 4f7 6s2
Orbital diagram of europium
Atomic radius of europium (van der Waals radius)	233 picometers
Density of europium	5.25 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of europium	5.670 eV
Main isotope of europium	153Eu
Melting point of europium	1099 K or 826 °C or 1519 °F
Boiling point of europium	1802 K or 1529 °C or 2784 °F
Crystal structure of europium	Body Centered Cubic (BCC)
Discovery of europium	By Eugene-Anatole Demarcay in 1896

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Europium element in Periodic table

The Europium element (Eu) has the atomic number 63 and is located in period 6. Europium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about europium

Here are a few interesting facts about the europium element.

1. Eugene-Anatole Demarcay discovered europium in the year 1896.
2. Europium was given its name from the name of the continent “Europe”.
3. The concentration of europium in the earth’s crust is around 1.8 ppm by weight.
4. Most of the europium is obtained from the ores Bastnasite and monazite.

Properties of europium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of europium.

Physical properties of europium

• Europium is a metal having a  silvery white appearance with a pale yellow tint.
• The density of europium is 5.25 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 151.96 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of europium is 1099 K and 1802 K respectively.
• There are many isotopes of europium, and out of those isotopes the most abundant isotope is ¹⁵³Eu.
• The crystal structure of europium is BCC.

Chemical properties of europium

• Europium is a reactive metal and it is always present in the compound form in the earth’s crust.
• Europium reacts vigorously with water and forms europium oxide. During this reaction, the hydrogen gas is liberated.
• Europium reacts with the atmospheric oxygen and gets oxidized.
• Europium metal will start to ignite when heated above 150 °C temperature.

Uses of europium

Here are some uses of the europium element.

• Europium oxide is used in TV screens as well as computer screens.
• Some isotopes of europium are used as neutron absorbers in nuclear power plants.

External resources:

1. Europium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Europium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/63/europium
2. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
3. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
4. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
5. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
6. Europium – Wikipedia. (2009, August 8). Europium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europium
7. P. (n.d.). Europium | Eu (Element) – PubChem. Europium | Eu (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Europium
8. It’s Elemental – The Element Europium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Europium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele063.html
9. Atomic Data for Europium (Eu). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Europium (Eu). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/europiumtable1.htm
10. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/63.shtml
11. Atomic Weight of Europium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Europium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/europium.htm
12. Europium | Eu | ChemSpider. (n.d.). Europium | Eu | ChemSpider. http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.22417.html?rid=29b8b127-48f9-4e02-bacf-4d3870753a6f
13. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – THE LANTHANIDES. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – THE LANTHANIDES. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/lanthanides.html?
14. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
15. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
16. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086