Cerium (Ce)
"The Spark, the most common of the rare earths, a hero who creates the spark in every lighter."
A memorable persona to anchor Ce in your mind.
6.77
Grams per cm³
799
Celsius (°C)
235
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Cerium is found in the flint in a cigarette lighter.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1803
Discovered By
Jöns Jacob Berzelius & Wilhelm Hisinger
Origin of Name
"Cerium is named for the asteroid, Ceres, which in turn was named after the Roman goddess of agriculture."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
140.116 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
3443°C
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f15d16s2
1st Ionization Energy
5.539 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Cerium is a silvery-white, ductile, and soft metal."
Did You Know?
It is the most abundant of all the rare earth elements, making up about 0.0066% of the Earth's crust, which is about as abundant as copper.
It is a primary component of mischmetal, an alloy that produces a hot spark when struck, making it ideal for the flint in cigarette lighters.
Cerium(IV) oxide is a highly effective polishing agent for glass and is used to polish telescope mirrors, camera lenses, and even the glass on your smartphone.
It is named after the dwarf planet Ceres, which was discovered just two years before the element.