EUROPIUM

europium, a metallic chemical element, symbol eu, atomic weight 152.0 (o = 16). the oxide eu2o3 occurs in very small quantity in the minerals of the rare earths, and was first obtained in 1896 by e, a. demarcay from lecoq de boisbaudran's samarium; g. urbain and h. lacombe in 1904 obtained the pure salts by fractional crystallization of the nitric acid solution with magnesium nitrate in the presence of bismuth nitrate. the salts have a faint pink colour, and show a faint absorption spectrum; the spark spectrum is brilliant and well characterized. eurydice ([greek: eurudike]), in greek mythology, the wife of orpheus (q.v.). she was the daughter of nereus and doris, and died from the bite of a serpent when fleeing from aristaeus, who wished to offer her violence (virgil, _georgics_, iv. 454-527; ovid, _metam_. x. 1 ff.).