Europium

Europium is named after the continent of Europe. Discovered in 1901 by Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, it is the most reactive of the rare earth elements and must be stored under an inert atmosphere or in mineral oil to prevent it from oxidizing. Europium is one of the rarest rare earth elements, but it has some of the most colorful applications.

Europium is the element that made color television possible — it produces the red phosphors that create red light on screen. Euro banknotes contain europium compounds that glow red under UV light as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Europium is also used in energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs and LED lights, producing both red and blue light. Without europium, your TV screen would be missing an entire primary color!

Europium's symbol 'Eu' is a distinctive two-letter element in Spellement. While 'eu' appears in English words like 'euro' and 'eureka,' partial emphasis allows using 'e' or 'u' individually — both common vowels that greatly enhance word-building possibilities.