Cerium (Ce)
lanthanideSolid
Masse atomique relative standard
140,116 uConfiguration électronique
[Xe] 6s2 4f1 5d1Point de fusion
797,85 °CPoint d’ébullition
3423,85 °CMasse volumique
6770 kg/m³États d’oxydation
+1, +2, +3, +4Électronégativité (Pauling)
1,12Énergie d’ionisation (1re)
5,5386 eVAnnée de découverte
1801Rayon atomique
185 pmDétails
Cerium is the first lanthanide by atomic number and one of the most abundant rare-earth elements in the crust. It is a reactive, electropositive metal whose chemistry is unusual among lanthanides because both Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ are accessible in ordinary compounds. This Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ redox pair, especially in oxides, makes cerium important in catalysts, polishing materials, glass treatment, and oxygen-storage applications.
Cerium is especially interesting because of its variable electronic structure. The energy of the inner 4f level is nearly the same as that of the outer (valence) electrons, and only small amounts of energy are required to change the relative occupancy of these electronic levels. This gives rise to dual valency states.
For example, a volume change of about 10 percent occurs when cerium is subjected to high pressures or low temperatures. Cesium's valence appears to change from about 3 to 4 when it is cooled or compressed. The low temperature behavior of cerium is complex.
Cerium is an iron-gray lustrous metal. It is malleable, and oxidizes very readily at room temperature, especially in moist air. Except for europium, cerium is the most reactive of the rare-earth metals. It decomposes slowly in cold water and rapidly in hot water.
Alkali solutions and dilute and concentrated acids attack the metal rapidly. The pure metal is likely to ignite if scratched with a knife.
Ceric slats are orange red or yellowish; cerous salts are usually white.
The name derives from the planetoid Ceres, which was discovered by the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801 and named for Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest. Two years later, the element cerium was discovered by the German chemist Martin-Heinrich Klaproth, who called it ochroeite earth because of its yellow colour.
Cerium was independently discovered at the same time by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius and the Swedish mineralogist Wilhelm von Hisinger, who called it ceria. It was first isolated in 1875 by the American mineralogist and chemist William Frances Hillebrand and the American chemist Thomas H. Norton.
Cerium was discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Wilhelm von Hisinger, Swedish chemists, and independently by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, in 1803. Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements and makes up about 0.0046% of the earth's crust. Today, cerium is primarily obtained through an ion exchange process from monazite sand ((Ce, La, Th, Nd, Y)PO4), a material rich in rare earth elements.
Cerium was named for the asteroid Ceres, which was discovered in 1801. The element was discovered two years later in 1803 by Klaproth and by Berzelius and Hisinger. In 1875 Hillebrand and Norton prepared the metal.
Pure cerium is a soft, silvery-gray metal that tarnishes readily in air. Fresh surfaces are metallic and bright, but oxidation quickly dulls them. The metal is ductile at room temperature, relatively low-melting for a lanthanide, and reactive enough that small particles can ignite when heated or abraded.
Cerium is widely used as cerium dioxide, CeO₂, in glass polishing powders and as an oxygen-storage component in automotive catalytic converters. Cerium compounds decolorize glass by oxidizing iron impurities and can also impart ultraviolet absorption. Mischmetal, a rare-earth alloy rich in cerium, is used in lighter flints and spark-producing alloys. Cerium is also used in some aluminum, magnesium, and iron alloys, where small additions can modify microstructure and oxidation behavior.
Pure cerium will ignite if it is scratched with a sharp object, but can be safely used if combined with other materials. Cerium is one of the rare earth elements used to make carbon arc lights which are used in the motion picture industry for studio lighting and projector lights. Cerium is also a component of Misch metal, a material that is used to make flints for lighters. Cerium is also used as a catalyst to refine petroleum and as an alloying agent to make special metals.
Cerium oxide (Ce2O3 and CeO2) is a component of the walls of self cleaning ovens and of incandescent lantern mantles. Cerium oxide is also used to polish glass surfaces. Ceric sulfate (Ce(So4)2) is used in some chemical analysis processes. Other cerium compounds are used to make some types of glass as well as to remove color from glass.
Cerium is a component of misch metal, which is extensively used in the manufacture of pyrophoric alloys for cigarette lighters. While cerium is not radioactive, the impure commercial grade may contain traces of thorium, which is radioactive. The oxide is an important constituent of incandescent gas mantles and is emerging as a hydrocarbon catalyst in self cleaning ovens where it can be incorporated into oven walls to prevent the collection of cooking residues.
As ceric sulfate is used extensively as a volumetric oxidizing agent in quantitative analysis. Cerium compounds are used in the manufacture of glass, both as a component and as a decolorizer.
The oxide is finding increased use as a glass polishing agent instead of rouge, for it polishes much faster than rouge. Cerium, with other rare earths, is used in carbon-arc lighting, especially in the motion picture industry. It is also useful as a catalyst in petroleum refining and in metallurgical and nuclear applications.
Isotopes in Earth/Planetary Science
When combined, 138La– 138Ce and 147Sm– 143Nd are two decay systems that are useful for studying processes affecting the light-rare-earth elements (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium) and the igneous evolution of the Moon and Earth because different igneous materials have different cerium isotopic compositions (Fig. IUPAC.58.1) and can be used in mass balance investigations [419] H. Tazoe, H. Obata, T. Gamo. J. Anal. At. Spectrom.22, 616 (2007)., [420] M. Tanimizu, T. Tanaka. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta66, 4007 (2002)..
Isotopes in Geochronology
138Ce is a radiogenic isotope produced by decay of 138La, with a half-life of 1.06×1011 years, one of the longest clocks in geochronology. Thus, the isotope-amount ratio n(138Ce)/n(142Ce) can be used for dating rocks on long time scales (billions of years) and can also be used as a chemical tracer in geochemical studies.
Isotopes in Medicine
144Ce (with a half-life of 0.78 year) has been used for brachytherapy applications in cells and vessels of the body. The half-life and specific activity of 144Ce give it a potential advantage over the commonly used isotope 192Ir of higher dose rate at shorter distances and lower irradiation of organs outside the tumor [424] V. O. Zilio, O. P. Joneja, Y. Popowski, F. O. Bochud, R. Chawla. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys.62, 585 (2005).. 144Ce enables the treatment of larger arteries as compared with 32P, another isotope commonly used for this style of radiotherapy.
Cerium commonly forms trivalent salts containing Ce³⁺ and tetravalent compounds containing Ce⁴⁺. Cerium dioxide, CeO₂, is the most important oxide and can reversibly lose small amounts of oxygen to form nonstoichiometric oxides, a property central to catalysis. Cerium(III) oxide, Ce₂O₃, is stable under reducing conditions. Cerium(III) chloride, CeCl₃, and cerium(III) nitrate, Ce(NO₃)₃, are common starting materials, while ceric ammonium nitrate, (NH₄)₂Ce(NO₃)₆, is a strong one-electron oxidant in laboratory chemistry.
See more information at the Cerium compound page.
Bulk cerium metal has low acute toxicity but is a fire risk as powder, turnings, or dust. It reacts with acids to release H₂ and should be kept from strong oxidizers and moisture when finely divided. Soluble cerium salts can irritate skin, eyes, and the respiratory tract, and inhalation of rare-earth dusts is an occupational concern. Natural cerium is not significantly radioactive for normal handling purposes.
Cerium occurs mainly in rare-earth minerals such as monazite, bastnäsite, and allanite, usually with other lanthanides. In surface environments it is commonly trivalent, but oxidation to Ce⁴⁺ can immobilize it as sparingly soluble oxides and hydroxides. This redox behavior produces cerium anomalies in marine sediments and some rocks, which are used as geochemical indicators of oxidation conditions.
Cerium is obtained as a by-product of rare-earth mining and separation, especially from bastnäsite and monazite concentrates. Because it is relatively abundant compared with many rare earths, supply is often tied more to separation capacity and demand for the whole rare-earth suite than to geological scarcity. Major demand comes from polishing powders, catalysts, glass additives, and pyrophoric alloys. Recycling is limited but possible from spent catalysts and industrial polishing slurries when collection and contamination levels make recovery practical.
Cerium is the most abundant so-called rare-earth metals. It is found in a number of minerals including allanite (also known as orthite), monazite, bastnasite, cerite, and samarskite. Monazite and bastnasite are presently the more important sources of cerium.
Large deposits of monazite (found on the beaches of Travancore, India and in river sands in Brazil), allanite (in the western United States), and bastnasite (in Southern California) will supply cerium, thorium, and the other rare-earth metals for many years to come.
Metallic cerium is prepared by metallothermic reduction techniques, such as reducing cerous fluoride with calcium, or using electrolysis of molten cerous chloride or others processes. The metallothermic technique produces high-purity cerium.
Cerium is made chiefly by neutron-capture processes in evolved stars, including the slow s-process and rapid r-process contributions. It is far less abundant cosmically than iron or oxygen but is one of the more abundant lanthanides. Cerium has been detected spectroscopically in some chemically peculiar stars, where rare-earth lines can be unusually strong.
- Cerium was named after the dwarf planet Ceres, discovered shortly before the element.
- CeO₂ can store and release oxygen without fully changing its crystal framework.
- Cerium is the only lanthanide with a common, stable tetravalent aqueous and solid-state chemistry.
- Finely divided cerium-rich alloys are the sparking material in many lighter flints.
- Cerium can show geochemical anomalies because Ce³⁺ is oxidized more readily than neighboring lanthanides.
Images
Propriétés
Propriétés physiques
- Rayon atomique (empirique)
- 185 pm Comparer : Rayon atomique (empirique) de tous les éléments →
- Rayon covalent
- 204 pm Comparer : Rayon covalent de tous les éléments →
- Rayon de van der Waals
- 235 pm Comparer : Rayon de van der Waals de tous les éléments →
- Masse volumique
- 6770 kg/m³ Comparer : Masse volumique de tous les éléments →
- Volume molaire
- 0,021 L/mol
- Phase aux CNTP
- Solide Comparer : Phase aux CNTP de tous les éléments →
- Point de fusion
- 797,85 °C Comparer : Point de fusion de tous les éléments →
- Point d’ébullition
- 3423,85 °C Comparer : Point d’ébullition de tous les éléments →
- Conductivité thermique
- 11,3 W/(m·K) Comparer : Conductivité thermique de tous les éléments →
- Capacité thermique massique
- 0,192 J/(g·K) Comparer : Capacité thermique massique de tous les éléments →
- Capacité thermique molaire
- 26,94 J/(mol·K) Comparer : Capacité thermique molaire de tous les éléments →
- Structure cristalline
- Cubique à faces centrées Comparer : Structure cristalline de tous les éléments →
Propriétés chimiques
- Électronégativité (Pauling)
- 1,12 Comparer : Électronégativité (Pauling) de tous les éléments →
- Affinité électronique
- 0,955 eV
- Énergie d’ionisation (1re)
- 5,5386 eV Comparer : Énergie d’ionisation (1re) de tous les éléments →
- Énergie d’ionisation (2e)
- 10,956038 eV Comparer : Énergie d’ionisation (2e) de tous les éléments →
- Énergie d’ionisation (3e)
- 20,19747 eV Comparer : Énergie d’ionisation (3e) de tous les éléments →
- Énergie d’ionisation (4e)
- 36,906127 eV Comparer : Énergie d’ionisation (4e) de tous les éléments →
- Énergie d’ionisation (5e)
- 65,550226 eV Comparer : Énergie d’ionisation (5e) de tous les éléments →
- États d’oxydation
- +1, +2, +3, +4 Comparer : États d’oxydation de tous les éléments →
- Électrons de valence
- 3 Comparer : Électrons de valence de tous les éléments →
- Configuration électronique
- [Xe] 6s2 4f1 5d1
Propriétés thermodynamiques
- Enthalpie de fusion
- 0,05658911 eV Comparer : Enthalpie de fusion de tous les éléments →
- Enthalpie de vaporisation
- 3,254392 eV Comparer : Enthalpie de vaporisation de tous les éléments →
- Enthalpie de sublimation
- 4,124994 eV
- Enthalpie d’atomisation
- 4,124994 eV
- Enthalpie d’atomisation
- 4,354045 eV
Propriétés nucléaires
- Protons
- 58 Comparer : Protons de tous les éléments →
- Neutrons
- 82 Comparer : Neutrons de tous les éléments →
- Isotopes connus
- 41 Comparer : Isotopes connus de tous les éléments →
- Isotopes stables
- 1 Comparer : Isotopes stables de tous les éléments →
- Isotope le plus stable
- Ce-140
- Année de découverte
- 1801
Abondance
- Abondance (croûte terrestre)
- 66,5 mg/kg Comparer : Abondance (croûte terrestre) de tous les éléments →
- Abondance (océan)
- 1,2 × 10−6 mg/L Comparer : Abondance (océan) de tous les éléments →
Structure cristalline
- Paramètre de maille a
- 516 pm
Structure électronique
- Électrons par couche
- 2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2 Comparer : Électrons par couche de tous les éléments →
Identifiants
- Numéro CAS
- 7440-45-1 Comparer : Numéro CAS de tous les éléments →
- Symbole de terme
- 1G°4
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Ce
- Clé InChI
- GWXLDORMOJMVQZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Configuration électronique Mesuré
Ce: 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²[Xe] 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²Modèle atomique
Les isotopes diffèrent par leur nombre de neutrons, leur masse et leur stabilité — pas par la configuration électronique de l’atome neutre.
Modèle atomique schématique, non à l’échelle.
Empreinte atomique
Spectre d’émission / d’absorption
Distribution isotopique
| Nombre de masse | Masse atomique (u) | Abondance naturelle | Demi-vie |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140 Stable | 139,9054431 ± 0,0000023 | 88,4500% | Stable |
Phase / État
Explication: 772,9 °C en dessous du point de fusion (797,85 °C)
Schématique, non à l’échelle
Points de transition de phase
Énergies de transition
Énergie nécessaire pour faire fondre 1 mol au point de fusion
Énergie nécessaire pour vaporiser 1 mol au point d’ébullition
Énergie nécessaire pour sublimer 1 mol au point de sublimation
Masse volumique
Dans les conditions standard
Dans les conditions standard
Spectres atomiques
Affichage de 10 sur 58. Tri par charge ionique croissante.
Raies répertoriées ?
| Ion | Charge | Nombre total de raies | Probabilités de transition | Désignations des niveaux |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ce I | 0 | 209 | 67 | 209 |
| Ce II | +1 | 560 | 283 | 560 |
| Ce III | +2 | 262 | 0 | 0 |
| Ce IV | +3 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Ce V | +4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Niveaux répertoriés ?
| Ion | Charge | Niveaux |
|---|---|---|
| Ce I | 0 | 953 |
| Ce II | +1 | 491 |
| Ce III | +2 | 227 |
| Ce IV | +3 | 17 |
| Ce V | +4 | 12 |
| Ce VI | +5 | 4 |
| Ce VII | +6 | 2 |
| Ce VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Ce IX | +8 | 2 |
| Ce X | +9 | 2 |
Rayons ioniques
| Charge | Coordinence | Spin | Rayon |
|---|---|---|---|
| +3 | 6 | N/D | 101 pm |
| +3 | 7 | N/D | 107 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/D | 114.3 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/D | 119.6 pm |
| +3 | 10 | N/D | 125 pm |
| +3 | 12 | N/D | 134 pm |
| +4 | 6 | N/D | 87 pm |
| +4 | 8 | N/D | 97 pm |
| +4 | 10 | N/D | 97 pm |
| +4 | 12 | N/D | 113.99999999999999 pm |
Composés
Isotopes (1)
| Nombre de masse | Masse atomique (u) | Abondance naturelle | Demi-vie | Mode de désintégration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140 Stable | 139,9054431 ± 0,0000023 | 88,4500% ± 0,0510% | Stable | stable |
Propriétés étendues
Rayons covalents (données étendues)
- Rayon covalent (Pyykkö)
- 163 pm
- Rayon covalent (Pyykkö, liaison double)
- 137 pm
- Rayon covalent (Pyykkö, liaison triple)
- 131 pm
Rayons de van der Waals
- Alvarez
- 288 pm
- UFF
- 355,6 pm
- MM3
- 274 pm
Rayons atomiques et métalliques
- Rayon atomique (Rahm)
- 282 pm
Échelles de numérotation
- Mendeleev
- 15
- Pettifor
- 32
- Glawe
- 31
Échelles d’électronégativité
- Ghosh
- 0
- Miedema
- 3
- Gunnarsson–Lundqvist
- 4
- Robles–Bartolotti
- 3
Polarisabilité et dispersion
- Polarisabilité dipolaire
- 205 a.u.
- Polarisabilité dipolaire (incertitude)
- 20 a.u.
- C₆ (Gould–Bučko)
- 3480 Ha·Bohr6
Paramètres de Miedema
- Volume molaire de Miedema
- 21,62 cm3/mol
- Densité électronique de Miedema
- 2
Risque d’approvisionnement et économie
- Concentration de la production
- 97
- Risque relatif d’approvisionnement
- 10
- Répartition des réserves
- 50
- Stabilité politique (principal producteur)
- 24
- Stabilité politique (principal détenteur de réserves)
- 24
Transitions de phase et allotropes
| Point de fusion | 1072,15 K |
| Point d’ébullition | 3716,15 K |
Catégories d’états d’oxydation
Données de référence avancées
Constantes d’écran (13)
| n | Orbitale | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1,1519 |
| 2 | p | 4,2176 |
| 2 | s | 15,26 |
| 3 | d | 13,9147 |
| 3 | p | 19,0405 |
| 3 | s | 19,3408 |
| 4 | d | 32,3392 |
| 4 | f | 56,324 |
| 4 | p | 29,3936 |
| 4 | s | 28,32 |
Détail des rayons cristallins (10)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | VI | 115 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | VII | 121 | estimated, | |
| 3 | VIII | 128,3 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | 133,6 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | X | 139 | ||
| 3 | XII | 148 | calculated, | |
| 4 | VI | 101 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 4 | VIII | 111 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 4 | X | 121 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 4 | XII | 128 |
Modes de désintégration des isotopes (54)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensité |
|---|---|---|
| 119 | B+ | — |
| 119 | B+p | — |
| 120 | B+ | — |
| 120 | B+p | — |
| 121 | B+ | 100% |
| 121 | B+p | 1% |
| 122 | B+ | — |
| 122 | B+p | — |
| 123 | B+ | 100% |
| 123 | B+p | — |
Facteurs de diffusion des rayons X (508)
| Énergie (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 1,28369 |
| 10,1617 | — | 1,26389 |
| 10,3261 | — | 1,24441 |
| 10,4931 | — | 1,22522 |
| 10,6628 | — | 1,20632 |
| 10,8353 | — | 1,18772 |
| 11,0106 | — | 1,16941 |
| 11,1886 | — | 1,15138 |
| 11,3696 | — | 1,13362 |
| 11,5535 | — | 1,11614 |
Données complémentaires
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
6.65×101 milligrams per kilogram
Références (1)
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
1.2×10-6 milligrams per liter
Références (1)
Sources
Sources of this element.
Cerium is the most abundant so-called rare-earth metals. It is found in a number of minerals including allanite (also known as orthite), monazite, bastnasite, cerite, and samarskite. Monazite and bastnasite are presently the more important sources of cerium.
Large deposits of monazite (found on the beaches of Travancore, India and in river sands in Brazil), allanite (in the western United States), and bastnasite (in Southern California) will supply cerium, thorium, and the other rare-earth metals for many years to come.
Metallic cerium is prepared by metallothermic reduction techniques, such as reducing cerous fluoride with calcium, or using electrolysis of molten cerous chloride or others processes. The metallothermic technique produces high-purity cerium.
Références (1)
- [6] Cerium https://periodic.lanl.gov/58.shtml
Références
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/
The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Cerium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.

