The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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Europium is a rare earth metal element whose atomic number is 63. Its atomic weight is 151.96, and its chemical symbol is Eu. The element is a soft, malleable, silvery-white metal. It is the most reactive of the rare earth elements, reacting with cold water and oxidizing quickly in air. It may catch fire spontaneously. The element can be prepared by heating its oxide with lanthanum.
By the end of the nineteenth century, great progress had been made in the field of rare-earth chemistry. Out of the complex new mineral, ytterite, discovered in 1787, chemists had extracted nearly a dozen new chemical elements. In 1901, yet another element was added to that list. In that year, the French chemist, Eugène-Anatole Demarçay found that a compound of samarium actually contained a previously unrecognized substance. He named the new element europium, in honor of the European continent.
Europium had actually been recognized more than a decade earlier by Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. In studying the spectrograph of a samarium- gadolinium mixture, Boisbaudran observed lines that did not belong to either element. He did not pursue this finding, however, so credit for the element's discovery is usually given to Demarçay.
Europium is one of the most efficient of all elements in the capture of neutrons. This property makes it useful in control systems used in nuclear reactors. Its compounds are also used in the manufacture of phosphors. One such compound is a component of the red phosphor used in color television sets. Another is added to the glue on postage stamps to make possible electronic scanning of the stamps.