Ce Cerium
Element Information, Facts, Properties, Trends, Uses, Comparison with other elements

Cerium is a chemical element with symbol Ce and atomic number 58. It is a soft, silvery, ductile metal which easily oxidizes in air. Cerium was named after the dwarf planet Ceres (itself named after the Roman goddess of agriculture).
It belongs to group of the periodic table having trivial name .
Cerium Facts
Read key information and facts about element Cerium
Name | Cerium |
Atomic Number | 58 |
Atomic Symbol | Ce |
Atomic Weight | 140.116 |
Phase | Solid |
Color | Silver |
Appearance | silvery white |
Classification | Lanthanide |
Group in Periodic Table | - |
Group Name | |
Period in Periodic Table | period 6 |
Block in Periodic Table | f -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2 |
Melting Point | 1071 K |
Boiling Point | 3633 K |
CAS Number | CAS7440-45-1 |
How to Locate Cerium on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 58 to find Cerium on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Cerium on periodic table look for cross section of group - and period 6 in the modern periodic table.
Cerium History
The element Cerium was discovered by H. Klaproth, J. Berzelius, and W. Hisinger in year 1803 in Germany and Sweden. Cerium was first isolated by G. Mosander in 1838. Cerium derived its name .
Berzelius and Hisinger discovered the element in ceria and named it after the newly discovered asteroid (then considered a planet), Ceres. Klaproth discovered it simultaneously and independently in some tantalum samples. Mosander proved later that the samples of all three researchers had at least another element in them,lanthanum.
Cerium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Cerium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | 10 | 0.09 |
Abundance in Sun | 4 | 0.03 |
Abundance in Meteorites | 760 | 110 |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | 60000 | 8900 |
Abundance in Oceans | 0.0012 | 0.000053 |
Abundance in Humans | - | - |
Crystal Structure of Cerium
The solid state structure of Cerium is Simple Hexagonal.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
362 pm | 362 pm | 599 pm |
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
π/2 | π/2 | 2 π/3 |
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | P63/mmc |
Space Group Number | 194 |
Crystal Structure | Simple Hexagonal |
Number of atoms per unit cell |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Cerium Atomic and Orbital Properties
Cerium atoms have 58 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 1G4.
Atomic Number | 58 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 58 |
Number of Protons | 58 |
Mass Number | 140 |
Number of Neutrons | 82 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2 |
Electron Configuration | [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2 |
Valence Electrons | 4f1 5d1 6s2 |
Valence (Valency) | 4 |
Main Oxidation States | 3, 4 |
Oxidation States | 2, 3, 4 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 1G4 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Cerium - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Cerium - neutral Cerium atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Cerium
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Cerium atom is [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2. The portion of Cerium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Xe]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 4f1 5d1 6s2, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Cerium
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Cerium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f1 5d1 6s2
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Cerium
Cerium atomic radius is 185 pm, while it's covalent radius is - .
Atomic Radius Calculated | 185 pm (1.85 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | 185 pm (1.85 Å) |
Atomic Volume | 20.947 cm3/mol |
Covalent Radius | - |
Van der Waals Radius | - |
Neutron Cross Section | 0.6 |
Neutron Mass Absorption | 0.00021 |
Atomic Spectrum of Cerium
Cerium Chemical Properties: Cerium Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Cerium is 50 kJ/mol.
Valence | 4 |
Electronegativity | 1.12 |
ElectronAffinity | 50 kJ/mol |
Ionization Energy of Cerium
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Cerium
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 534.4 |
2nd | 1050 |
3rd | 1949 |
4th | 3547 |
5th | 6325 |
6th | 7490 |
Cerium Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Cerium Physical Properties
Density | 6.689 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $6.55 g/cm3) |
Molar Volume | 20.947 cm3/mol |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | 34 |
Shear Modulus | 14 GPa |
Bulk Modulus | 22 GPa |
Poisson Ratio | 0.24 |
Hardness of Cerium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | 2.5 MPa |
Vickers Hardness | 270 MPa |
Brinell Hardness | 412 MPa |
Cerium Electrical Properties
Cerium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofCerium
Electrical Conductivity | 1400000 S/m |
Resistivity | 7.4e-7 m Ω |
Superconducting Point | 0.022 |
Cerium Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | 11 W/(m K) |
Thermal Expansion | 0.0000063 /K |
Cerium Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | Paramagnetic |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | 2.2e-7 m3/kg |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | 3.0826e-8 m3/mol |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | 0.0014716 |
Optical Properties of Cerium
Refractive Index | - |
Acoustic Properties of Cerium
Speed of Sound | 2100 m/s |
Cerium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Cerium
Melting Point | 1071 K (797.85°C, 1468.13 °F) |
Boiling Point | 3633 K (3359.85°C, 6079.73 °F) |
Critical Temperature | - |
Superconducting Point | 0.022 |
Enthalpies of Cerium
Heat of Fusion | 5.5 kJ/mol |
Heat of Vaporization | 350 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Cerium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Cerium
Cerium has 39 isotopes, with between 119 and 157 nucleons. Cerium has 4 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Cerium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: 136Ce, 138Ce, 140Ce, 142Ce.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
119Ce | 58 | 61 | 119 | Synthetic | ||
120Ce | 58 | 62 | 120 | Synthetic | ||
121Ce | 58 | 63 | 121 | Synthetic | ||
122Ce | 58 | 64 | 122 | Synthetic | ||
123Ce | 58 | 65 | 123 | Synthetic | ||
124Ce | 58 | 66 | 124 | Synthetic | ||
125Ce | 58 | 67 | 125 | Synthetic | ||
126Ce | 58 | 68 | 126 | Synthetic | ||
127Ce | 58 | 69 | 127 | Synthetic | ||
128Ce | 58 | 70 | 128 | Synthetic | ||
129Ce | 58 | 71 | 129 | Synthetic | ||
130Ce | 58 | 72 | 130 | Synthetic | ||
131Ce | 58 | 73 | 131 | Synthetic | ||
132Ce | 58 | 74 | 132 | Synthetic | ||
133Ce | 58 | 75 | 133 | Synthetic | ||
134Ce | 58 | 76 | 134 | Synthetic | ||
135Ce | 58 | 77 | 135 | Synthetic | ||
136Ce | 58 | 78 | 136 | 0.185% | Stable | N/A |
137Ce | 58 | 79 | 137 | Synthetic | ||
138Ce | 58 | 80 | 138 | 0.251% | Stable | N/A |
139Ce | 58 | 81 | 139 | Synthetic | ||
140Ce | 58 | 82 | 140 | 88.45% | Stable | |
141Ce | 58 | 83 | 141 | Synthetic | ||
142Ce | 58 | 84 | 142 | 11.114% | Stable | N/A |
143Ce | 58 | 85 | 143 | Synthetic | ||
144Ce | 58 | 86 | 144 | Synthetic | ||
145Ce | 58 | 87 | 145 | Synthetic | ||
146Ce | 58 | 88 | 146 | Synthetic | ||
147Ce | 58 | 89 | 147 | Synthetic | ||
148Ce | 58 | 90 | 148 | Synthetic | ||
149Ce | 58 | 91 | 149 | Synthetic | ||
150Ce | 58 | 92 | 150 | Synthetic | ||
151Ce | 58 | 93 | 151 | Synthetic | ||
152Ce | 58 | 94 | 152 | Synthetic | ||
153Ce | 58 | 95 | 153 | Synthetic | ||
154Ce | 58 | 96 | 154 | Synthetic | ||
155Ce | 58 | 97 | 155 | Synthetic | ||
156Ce | 58 | 98 | 156 | Synthetic | ||
157Ce | 58 | 99 | 157 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-45-1 |
RTECS Number | - |
CID Number | CID23974 |
Gmelin Number | - |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Cerium with other elements
Compare Cerium with all Group elements
Compare Cerium with all Period 6 elements
Compare Cerium with all Lanthanide elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Cerium?
The electronic configuration of Cerium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f1 5d1 6s2.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Cerium?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Cerium is [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Cerium?
Symbol of Cerium is Ce. Cerium is a chemical element with symbol Ce and atomic number 58.
What is the position of Cerium in the Periodic Table?
Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58. Cerium is the 58 element on the periodic table. It is located in group null and period 6 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Cerium?
The atomic number of Cerium is 58.
What is the color of Cerium?
Cerium is of Silver color.
Who discovered Cerium?
The element Cerium was discovered by H. Klaproth, J. Berzelius, and W. Hisinger in year 1803 in Germany and Sweden. Cerium was first isolated by G. Mosander in 1838.
How many valence electrons does a Cerium atom have?
Cerium has 4 valence electrons. Cerium has 58 electrons out of which 4 valence electrons are present in the 4f1 5d1 6s2 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Cerium?
Melting Point of Cerium is 1071 K.
What is the boiling Point of Cerium?
Boiling Point of Cerium is 3633 K.
What is the melting Point of Cerium in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Cerium in Kelvin is 1071 K.
What is the boiling Point of Cerium in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Cerium in Kelvin is 3633 K.
What is the electronic configuration of Cerium 58?
The electronic configuration of Cerium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f1 5d1 6s2.
How do you write the electron configuration for Cerium?
The electronic configuration of Cerium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f1 5d1 6s2.