Phosphors Versus the Periodic System of the Elements

The properties of a number of well-known inorganic luminescent materials (phosphors) are described as a function of variations of their constituents. Chemical substitutions made according to the ordered series in the periodic system of the elements are shown to produce many anomalous energy changes which appear as shifts in the spectral emission colors of phosphors. The anomalous energy changes indicate that the mechanisms of luminescence in solids cannot be given a simple interpretation. The relative cathodoluminescences of forty-five phosphors are codified and presented in tabular form for the convenience of cathode-ray tube engineers.