Europium - A Metal That PROTECTS EURO!

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Do not repeat the experiments shown in this video!
Today I would like to tell you about such an unusual metal as europium. Europium is a pretty active so-called f-metal belonging to the lanthanides series in the periodic table. This is a very active metal and its chemical activity can be compared to that of lithium that is why it is stored in containers with inert atmosphere to protect europium from oxidation. By the way europium is paramagnetic and gets attracted to powerful neodymium magnets and also this metal is very expensive. I paid 20 dollars for 1 gram of the metal. Of course I could have bought a whole ton of the metal for 70 cents for 1 gram but I didn’t feel like doing that. When taken out of its container europium is a shiny metal that quickly covers in its oxide and yellow carbonite. This is a pretty soft metal. Europium can easily be cut with pliers. Its softness can be compared to that of plumbum. Europium actively reacts with water like lithium and calcium forming poorly soluble europium hydroxide of yellow color. As time passes by the metal covers in thick layer of hydroxide and the reaction slows down. If mixed with hydrochloric acid the reaction significantly speeds up because europium dissolves in hydrochloric acid very well producing yellow europium chloride. By the way I was surprised by one property of europium chloride. Freshly made europium chloride solution fully blocks ultraviolet light when being pointed at with an ultraviolet laser which is pretty strange because usually europium salts glow in ultraviolet light. This effect is well observed if one tries to pass a beam of ultraviolet laser through europium chloride solution with a flask filled with luminophore solution from green emitting luminophore behind it. Even more interestingly when the solution had been stored in a dark place for a couple of days it began glowing red-orange in ultraviolet light and stopped blocking ultraviolet laser beams. I think this effect is somehow linked to the fact that the radius of europium’s atoms is large and the atoms have f-orbitals. Let’s move on. If to mix alkali - sodium hydroxide with europium chloride, it will form yellow sediment from europium hydroxide. As many other lanthanide hydroxides, europium hydroxide dissolves in edetate disodium - a teapot limescale remover forming soluble agent. If you try to set a piece of europium on fire out in air despite your expectations, it won’t burn although its chemical activity should cause it to. I think it’s so due to the high melting point of this metal. Upon piercing europium in air it forms europium oxide that also gives the flame of the burner red color. This oxide as well as europium chloride glows red in ultraviolet light. Europium oxide as well as its other compounds make up well known luminophore powder based on strontium aluminate. These differently colored powders that are abundantly sold via the Internet have a unique property. Such powder glows in ultraviolet light and it also accumulates light energy and it can glow for a few hours after the light was turned off. Such powders are used in applied arts and they are also added to lots dyes especially those that are used to paint tips clocks’ hands that glow in the dark. Europium is an afterglow activator in such powders and it also increases brightness of the residual light. The colour of the powder depends on its content. To get other colors other rare-earth metal compounds are added. Europium oxide is also used in picture tubes to make red pixels and also in order to make fluorescent lamps’ light warmer. Europium is also used to protect the dyes of euro banknotes. Europium protects euros. What an interesting coincidence. Perhaps californium is used to protect dollars!