{"id":304,"date":"2020-04-09T10:19:05","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T10:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=304"},"modified":"2023-08-15T12:56:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T12:56:55","slug":"cerium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/cerium\/","title":{"rendered":"Cerium (Ce)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cerium is a chemical element with an atomic number of 58 in the periodic table<\/a> of elements. It\u2019s the most abundant rare-earth metal that is found in Earth\u2019s crust. Being a member of the lanthanides family of periodic table elements, this transitional element from period 6 in the periodic table of elements has four valence electrons which assign high reactivity to this chemical element.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Cerium<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol<\/td>Ce<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>58<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>140.116 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group number<\/td>Lanthanides<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>6<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>Iron-gray metal<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>32.501 days<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>1.1<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>6.76 g.cm-3 at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>799\u00b0C, 1470\u00b0F, 1072 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>3443\u00b0C, 6229\u00b0F, 3716 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.181 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>103.4 pm<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>from cerium-119 to cerium-157<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>140Ce<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Xe] 4f15d16s2<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>526.8 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the second ionization<\/td>1045 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the third ionization<\/td>1945.6 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Discovery date<\/td>In 1803 by J\u00f6ns Jacob Berzelius, Wilhelm Hisinger, and Martin Klaproth<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cerium is a ductile and malleable metal, soft enough to be cut by a sharp object. It\u2019s labeled with the symbol Ce, and has the atomic number 58, atomic mass of 140.116 g.mol -1, and electron configuration [Xe] 4f<\/span>1<\/span>5d<\/span>1<\/span>6s<\/span>2<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cerium reaches its boiling point at 3443\u00b0C, 6229\u00b0F, 3716 K, while the melting point is achieved at 799\u00b0C, 1470\u00b0F, 1072 K. As a result, this metal substance dissolves slowly in cold water, while in hot water it dissolves more quickly. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second member of the lanthanides family of elements in the periodic table has an electronegativity of 1.1 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.181 nm. Having +4 and +3 oxidation states that are readily activated at room temperature, this transition metal tarnishes when it comes into contact with oxygen<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this regard, cerium is a very potent oxidizing agent. Moist air is the most powerful trigger of the oxidation process of cerium. Alkali solutions and all acids also rapidly attack this metal.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Cerium Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1803, the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743 – 1817) managed to distinguish this oxide and describe the new element from ceria (bauxite) ore, but he wasn\u2019t able to isolate it in its elemental form. A bit later that year, two Swedish chemists and avid experimenters, J\u00f6ns Jacob Jacob Berzelius (1779 – 1848) and Wilhelm von Hisinger (1766 – 1852), attempted to further analyze the new and rare reddish-brown mineral in Bastn\u00e4s, Sweden. With this experiment on the metal oxide called \u2018ochra\u2019, they succeeded in both isolating cerium in its pure elemental form, and in assigning its properties as a chemical element.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Cerium Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Berzelius himself labeled the newly discovered element after the asteroid Ceres that was discovered only two years prior to his monumental discovery in the world of chemistry. He made the decision on the name of cerium upon the basis of an astronomical map dating back to the early 17th-century. Ceres was also the Latin name of the Roman Goddess of agriculture and fertility, signifying abundance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Cerium?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lanthanide ores, such as cerite (cerium silicate and cerium salts), monazite, and bastnasite, are the main ores containing cerium. This chemical substance is also obtained by electrolysis of cerium chloride, cerium salts, as well as from the titanium <\/a>mineral perovskite and the sorosilicate allanite. Traces of cerium can also be found in the fission products of uranium<\/a>, plutonium<\/a>, and thorium<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metallic cerium can be obtained by the processes of electrolysis or thermal reduction that produce the pure metal form of cerium. India, Brazil, and Southern California house the largest cerium deposits in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cerium in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This rare-earth element is mainly used in industry as an addition to metal alloys composed of iron<\/a>, steel, or aluminum. Furthermore, it is applied as one of the main components in the following instances:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n