Europium is a hard metal that easily oxidises in air. It is the least abundant of the rare earth metals and its also the most reactive. It is not found as a free element but in ores such as xenotime and monazite. Europium is used in the printing of euro bank notes as it glows red under UV light to detect forgeries. Europium was discovered by Eugène-Antole Demarçay who in 1886 identified it by spectroscopy. It wasn't until 1901 that Europium was isolated by crystalisation of samarium magnesium nitrate. It is a solid metal at room temperature with a melting point of 826°c and a boiling point of 1529°c.