What is the only continent with a chemical element named for it?
Europium is the chemical that gives phosphors their colors. It is the element that was named after Europe continent (EU).
France and England should disagree about the discovery of Europium. Some things never seem to change. This list of chemicals covers elements named for both locations. 41 of the 118 chemical element names are related to locations on the Earth or by other objects. The Earth is the source of 32 elements, and the Solar System contains nine. The first tables below list terrestrial sites (excluding the entire Earth). Moreover, the last table lists cosmic objects named after chemical elements.
Let’s discuss a bit more about chemical element named with continent
Europium has the chemical symbol Eu and the atomic number 63. Europium. This is the most reactive of lanthanides and must be stored in an inert solution to keep it from oxygen, moisture, or air. Europium is also the softest lanthanide, which can be dented with a fingernail and sliced with a knife. When the oxidation is eliminated, a gleaming-white metal is revealed. Europium was discovered in 1901 and named after the European continent. As a member of the lanthanide series, Europium has the oxidation state +3, although it can also have the oxidation state +2. The oxidation state +2 of all europium compounds is somewhat reducing.
Moreover, Europium has no biological function and is non-toxic than other heavy metals. The phosphorescence of europium compounds is used in the majority of europium applications. Europium is one of the rarest elements on the planet.
History of Europium
Although Europium is present in most minerals containing other rare elements, it was not separated until the late 1800s due to problems separating the components. William Crookes investigated the phosphors spectra of unusual elements.
In 1892, Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered Europium. He detected spectral lines in the material that was not found in the samarium/gadolinium levels after it was removed. Eugene-Anale Demarcay, a French chemist, was responsible for the discovery of Europium. He believed that the samples of samarium he found were contaminated by an unknown element in 1896. And he was able to isolate it and give it the name Europium by 1901.
The 1960s saw the discovery of Europium-doped yellow phosphor, yttrium orvanadate. This was to spark a revolution in color television. Because the usual europium ratio in monazite is about 0.05%, there was a rush among monazite processors for the limited amount of Europium on hand.
Molycirc Bastnasite deposit at Mountain Pass rare earth mine in California. The Lanthanides of the Mountain Pass mine had a high level of Europium (0.0%) and were about to enter production. The color-TV red color phosphor was very weak before Europium was introduced. To preserve color balance, other phosphor colors needed to be muted. With the help of the vivid red europium phosphor, it was no longer required to muffle the other hues, resulting in a brighter color TV display. Europium has been used in the television business and computer monitors. Californian bastnäsite is now up against Bayan Obo, China, which has an even “richer” europium level of 0.2%.
Ion-Exchange Process
Frank Spedding is famous for inventing the ion-exchange process. which improved the rare-earth business in the mid-1950s. In the 1930s, he was teaching about rare Earths when an older man came to him and offered him several pounds of europium oxide. This was unprecedented at the time, and Spedding dismissed the individual. But, a shipment containing many pounds of natural europium oxide came in the mail. Herbert Newby McCoy invented a process of europium purification that used redox chemistry.
