Cerium (Ce) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Cerium element (Ce) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Cerium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to cerium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Cerium element (Information Table)
• Cerium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Cerium
• Properties of Cerium
• Uses of Cerium

Cerium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to cerium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of cerium	Silvery white appearance
Atomic number of cerium	58
Symbol of cerium	Ce
Atomic mass of cerium	140.12 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in cerium	Protons: 58, Neutrons: 82, Electrons: 58
State of cerium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of cerium in periodic table	6
Block of cerium in periodic table	f-block
Category of cerium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in cerium	2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2
Electron configuration of cerium	[Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2
Orbital diagram of cerium
Electronegativity of cerium (on pauling scale)	1.12
Atomic radius of cerium (van der Waals radius)	235 picometers
Density of cerium	6.69 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of cerium	5.539 eV
Main isotope of cerium	140Ce
Melting point of cerium	1068 K or 795 °C or 1463 °F
Boiling point of cerium	3716 K or 3443 °C or 6229 °F
Crystal structure of cerium	Face Centered Cubic (FCC) at room temp.
Discovery of cerium	By Wilhelm Hisinger, Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Martin Heinrich Klaproth (in 1803)

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Cerium element in Periodic table

The Cerium element (Ce) has the atomic number 58 and is located in period 6. Cerium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about cerium

Here are a few interesting facts about cerium element.

1. Cerium was given its name from the dwarf planet “Ceres”.
2. The concentration of cerium in the earth’s crust is around 60 ppm by weight.
3. Cerium has a largest deposition in India, Brazil and California.
4. Cerium was discovered by Wilhelm Hisinger & Jons Jakob Berzelius in 1803. And the chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth also individually discovered the cerium element in the same year.

Properties of cerium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of cerium.

Physical properties of cerium

• Cerium has a silvery white metallic appearance.
• Cerium has a density of 6.69 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 140.12 amu.
• Cerium can be drawn into thin sheets due to its malleability.
• The melting point and boiling point of cerium is 1068 K and 3716 K respectively.
• Cerium has many isotopes, but the most abundant isotope is ¹⁴⁰Ce.
• Cerium has FCC crystal structure at room temperature.

Chemical properties of cerium

• Cerium is a reactive metal and so it is always found in compounds from the earth’s crust.
• Cerium also reacts with dilute acids as well as concentrated acids.
• Cerium forms an oxide layer on it when it is kept open in the air for a longer time.
• Cerium has an electronegativity of 1.12 on the pauling scale.

Uses of cerium

Here are some uses of the cerium element.

• Cerium is used in catalytic converters to treat the exhaust gas from the vehicles.
• Cerium oxide is a compound of cerium which is used as an additive in diesel fuel for improving the performance of diesel engines.
• Cerium is used in carbon arc lighting that is used in studio lighting.
• Cerium is also used in the alloy that is used in cigarette lighters.

External resources:

1. Cerium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Cerium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/58/cerium
2. Possolo, et al. (2018, January 4). Interpreting and propagating the uncertainty of the standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(2), 395–424. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-0402
3. Emsley, J. (2011). Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
4. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
5. Electronic structure of the elements. (2000, March). The European Physical Journal C, 15(1–4), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02683401
6. James A. M. & Lord M. P. (1992). Macmillan’s chemical and physical data. Macmillan.
7. Cerium – Wikipedia. (2016, July 9). Cerium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerium
8. P. (n.d.). Cerium | Ce (Element) – PubChem. Cerium | Ce (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Cerium
9. It’s Elemental – The Element Cerium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Cerium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele058.html
10. Atomic Data for Cerium (Ce). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Cerium (Ce). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/ceriumtable1.htm
11. Atomic Weight of Cerium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Cerium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/cerium.htm
12. Cerium | Ce | ChemSpider. (n.d.). Cerium | Ce | ChemSpider. http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.22411.html?rid=6acc215e-8155-4a68-b63e-03df7755a19a
13. Bedford, et al. (1996, April 1). Recommended values of temperature on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 for a selected set of secondary reference points. Metrologia, 33(2), 133–154. https://doi.org/10.1088/0026-1394/33/2/3
14. Allred, A. (1961, June). Electronegativity values from thermochemical data. Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, 17(3–4), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1902(61)80142-5