Chemical element · Atomic number 63

Europium

Europium in the periodic table: atomic number 63, electron configuration, atomic mass, physical data, oxidation states, media credit and visible sources.

Eu

Lanthanide

solid

151.964 u

Silvery-gray sample of elemental europium in an element collectionDocumented element sample

A documented sample of elemental europium; the rare earth metal appears silvery-gray.

Image credit: James St. John

Auto-oriented, limited to 1600 × 1200 pixels and re-encoded as WebP; the subject was not altered.

Commons fileLicence: CC BY 2.0

Atomic classification

Europium in the Bohr shell modelThis shows the electron distribution of the neutral atom in a simplified shell model.: 2 · 8 · 18 · 25 · 8 · 2

Shell occupancy

Europium in the Bohr shell model

This shows the electron distribution of the neutral atom in a simplified shell model.

K · n=1
2 electrons
L · n=2
8 electrons
M · n=3
18 electrons
N · n=4
25 electrons
O · n=5
8 electrons
P · n=6
2 electrons
Shell occupancy is derived from the versioned PubChem electron configuration. Dot angles are schematic and do not represent orbitals.
Electron configuration
[Xe]6s2 4f7
Electrons per shell
2 · 8 · 18 · 25 · 8 · 2
Group
not reported
Period
6
Block
F
Element category
Lanthanide

Physical and chemical properties

Atomic mass
151.964 u
Standard state
solid
Density
5.24 g/cm³
Melting point
1,095 K
Boiling point
1,802 K
Electronegativity
not reported
First ionisation energy
5.67 eV
Oxidation states
+3, +2
Discovery
1901

Safety and periodic classification

Safety

Safe handling cannot be inferred from Europium's position in the periodic table alone. Laboratory, classroom and disposal decisions must follow the documentation for the exact material and its safety data sheet.

Position and comparison

Europium is in period 6 and the F block. Its direct neighbours by atomic number are Samarium and Gadolinium. The snapshot does not report a Pauling electronegativity. Periodic trends are compared only through the separately sourced neighbouring values.

Sources and scope

PubChem attributes element data to sources including IUPAC, NIST and IAEA. Quanta stores the referenced snapshot locally and leaves unknown values unavailable.

Where Europium sits among the 118 elements

The table compares the reported values for Europium with every other element that carries the same value in the snapshot. A rank is not a judgement, it is orientation: it says how unusual this value is across the periodic table.

ValueEuropiumPosition in the data set
Melting point1,095 KRank 58 of 103 elements with a reported value. Highest: Carbon.
Boiling point1,802 KRank 60 of 93 elements with a reported value. Highest: Rhenium.
Density5.24 g/cm³Rank 62 of 96 elements with a reported value. Highest: Osmium.
Ionisation energy5.67 eVRank 86 of 102 elements with a reported value. Highest: Helium.

All values and ranks come from the PubChem Periodic Table snapshot, retrieved on 2026-07-15. Elements without a reported value are excluded, so the population differs per row.

The neighbours of Europium in the periodic table

Place in the table
No group number, period 6, F block. Classified as lanthanide, solid at standard conditions.
Direct neighbours
Atomic number 63. Preceded by Samarium, followed by Gadolinium.
Discovery
Recorded in the snapshot as: 1901. Who, where and under what circumstances is not part of that record, so this page carries the sourced year and no discovery narrative.
Oxidation states
+3, +2. They follow from the electron configuration [Xe]6s2 4f7 and indicate which compounds to expect.

Go from looking up chemistry to remembering it.

Turn your notes into source-backed study cards and review them at the right time.

Start for free

Starter stays free · no payment details