Compare Cerium vs Magnesium: Periodic Table Element Comparison Table and Properties
Compare the elements Cerium and Magnesium on the basis of their properties, attributes and periodic table facts. Compare elements - Cerium and Magnesium comparison table side by side across over 90 properties. All the elements of similar categories show a lot of similarities and differences in their chemical, atomic, physical properties and uses. These similarities and dissimilarities should be known while we study periodic table elements. You can study the detailed comparison between Cerium vs Magnesium with most reliable information about their properties, attributes, facts, uses etc. You can compare Ce vs Mg on more than 90 properties like electronegativity, oxidation state, atomic shells, orbital structure, Electronaffinity, physical states, electrical conductivity and many more. This in-depth comparison helps students, educators, researchers, and science enthusiasts understand the differences and similarities between Cerium and Magnesium.
Cerium and Magnesium Comparison
Here's a detailed comparison between Cerium (Ce) and Magnesium (Mg), focusing on their position in the periodic table, physical and chemical properties, stability, and uses.
Facts - Basic Element Details
| Name | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Atomic Number | 58 | 12 | 
| Atomic Symbol | Ce | Mg | 
| Atomic Weight | 140.116 | 24.305 | 
| Phase at STP | Solid | Solid | 
| Color | Silver | Silver | 
| Metallic Classification | Lanthanide | Alkaline Earth Metal | 
| Group in Periodic Table | Lanthanide (no group number) | group 2 | 
| Group Name | beryllium family | |
| Period in Periodic Table | period 6 | period 3 | 
| Block in Periodic Table | f -block | s -block | 
| Electronic Configuration | [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2 | [Ne] 3s2 | 
| Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2 | 2, 8, 2 | 
| Melting Point | 1071 K | 923 K | 
| Boiling Point | 3633 K | 1363 K | 
| CAS Number | CAS7440-45-1 | CAS7439-95-4 | 
| Neighborhood Elements | Neighborhood Elements of Cerium | Neighborhood Elements of Magnesium | 
History
| Parameter | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| History | The element Cerium was discovered by H. Klaproth, J. Berzelius, and W. Hisinger in year 1803 in Germany and Sweden. Cerium derived its name . | The element Magnesium was discovered by J. Black in year 1755 in United Kingdom. Magnesium derived its name from Magnesia, a district of Eastern Thessaly in Greece. | 
| Discovery | H. Klaproth, J. Berzelius, and W. Hisinger (1803) | J. Black (1755) | 
| Isolated | G. Mosander (1838) | H. Davy (1808) | 
Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
Parts per billion (ppb) by weight / by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %)
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Abundance in Universe | 10 / 0.09 | 600000 / 30000 | 
| Abundance in Sun | 4 / 0.03 | 700000 / 30000 | 
| Abundance in Meteorites | 760 / 110 | 120000000 / 100000000 | 
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | 60000 / 8900 | 29000000 / 25000000 | 
| Abundance in Oceans | 0.0012 / 0.000053 | 1326000 / 337000 | 
| Abundance in Humans | - / - | 270000 / 70000 | 
Crystal Structure and Atomic Structure
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Atomic Volume | 20.947 cm3/mol | 13.984 cm3/mol | 
| Atomic Radius | 185 pm | 145 pm | 
| Covalent Radius | - | 130 pm | 
| Van der Waals Radius | - | 173 pm | 
Atomic Spectrum - Spectral Lines | ||
| Emission Spectrum | ![]()  | ![]()  | 
| Absorption Spectrum | ![]()  | ![]()  | 
| Lattice Constant | 362, 362, 599 pm | 320.94, 320.94, 521.08 pm | 
| Lattice Angle | π/2, π/2, 2 π/3 | π/2, π/2, 2 π/3 | 
| Space Group Name | P63/mmc | P63/mmc | 
| Space Group Number | 194 | 194 | 
| Crystal Structure | Simple Hexagonal ![]()  | Simple Hexagonal ![]()  | 
Atomic and Orbital Properties
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Atomic Number | 58 | 12 | 
| Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 58 | 12 | 
| Number of Protons | 58 | 12 | 
| Mass Number | 140.116 | 24.305 | 
| Number of Neutrons | 82 | 12 | 
| Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2 | 2, 8, 2 | 
| Electron Configuration | [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2 | [Ne] 3s2 | 
| Valence Electrons | 4f1 5d1 6s2 | 3s2 | 
| Oxidation State | 3, 4 | 2 | 
| Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 1G4 | 1S0 | 
| Shell structure | ![]()  | ![]()  | 
Isotopes and Nuclear Properties
Cerium has 4 stable naturally occuring isotopes while Magnesium has 3 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
| Parameter | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Known Isotopes | 119Ce, 120Ce, 121Ce, 122Ce, 123Ce, 124Ce, 125Ce, 126Ce, 127Ce, 128Ce, 129Ce, 130Ce, 131Ce, 132Ce, 133Ce, 134Ce, 135Ce, 136Ce, 137Ce, 138Ce, 139Ce, 140Ce, 141Ce, 142Ce, 143Ce, 144Ce, 145Ce, 146Ce, 147Ce, 148Ce, 149Ce, 150Ce, 151Ce, 152Ce, 153Ce, 154Ce, 155Ce, 156Ce, 157Ce | 19Mg, 20Mg, 21Mg, 22Mg, 23Mg, 24Mg, 25Mg, 26Mg, 27Mg, 28Mg, 29Mg, 30Mg, 31Mg, 32Mg, 33Mg, 34Mg, 35Mg, 36Mg, 37Mg, 38Mg, 39Mg, 40Mg | 
| Stable Isotopes | Naturally occurring stable isotopes: 136Ce, 138Ce, 140Ce, 142Ce  | Naturally occurring stable isotopes: 24Mg, 25Mg, 26Mg  | 
| Neutron Cross Section | 0.6 | 0.063 | 
| Neutron Mass Absorption | 0.00021 | 0.0001 | 
Chemical Properties: Ionization Energies and electron affinity
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Valence or Valency | 4 | 2 | 
| Electronegativity | 1.12 Pauling Scale | 1.31 Pauling Scale | 
| Oxidation State | 3, 4 | 2 | 
| Electron Affinity | 50 kJ/mol | 0 kJ/mol | 
| Ionization Energies | 1st: 534.4  kJ/mol 2nd: 1050  kJ/mol 3rd: 1949  kJ/mol 4th: 3547  kJ/mol 5th: 6325  kJ/mol 6th: 7490  kJ/mol  | 1st: 737.7  kJ/mol 2nd: 1450.7  kJ/mol 3rd: 7732.7  kJ/mol 4th: 10542.5  kJ/mol 5th: 13630  kJ/mol 6th: 18020  kJ/mol 7th: 21711  kJ/mol 8th: 25661  kJ/mol 9th: 31653  kJ/mol 10th: 35458  kJ/mol 11th: 169988  kJ/mol 12th: 189368  kJ/mol  | 
Physical Properties
Magnesium (1.738 g/cm³) is less dense than Cerium (6.689 g/cm³). This means that a given volume of Cerium will be heavier than the same volume of Magnesium. Cerium is about 284.90000000000003 denser than Magnesium
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid | Solid | 
| Color | Silver | Silver | 
| Density | 6.689 g/cm3 | 1.738 g/cm3 | 
| Density (when liquid (at melting point)) | 6.55 g/cm3 | 1.584 g/cm3 | 
| Molar Volume | 20.947 cm3/mol | 13.984 cm3/mol | 
Mechanical and Hardness Properties
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
Elastic Properties | ||
| Young Modulus | 34 | 45 | 
| Shear Modulus | 14 GPa | 17 GPa | 
| Bulk Modulus | 22 GPa | 45 GPa | 
| Poisson Ratio | 0.24 | 0.29 | 
Hardness - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element | ||
| Mohs Hardness | 2.5 MPa | 2.5 MPa | 
| Vickers Hardness | 270 MPa | - | 
| Brinell Hardness | 412 MPa | 260 MPa | 
Thermal and Electrical Conductivity
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
Heat and Conduction Properties | ||
| Thermal Conductivity | 11 W/(m K) | 160 W/(m K) | 
| Thermal Expansion | 0.0000063 /K | 0.0000082 /K | 
Electrical Properties | ||
| Electrical Conductivity | 1400000 S/m | 23000000 S/m | 
| Resistivity | 7.4e-7 m Ω | 4.4e-8 m Ω | 
| Superconducting Point | 0.022 | - | 
Magnetic and Optical Properties
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
Magnetic Properties | ||
| Magnetic Type | Paramagnetic | Paramagnetic | 
| Curie Point | - | - | 
| Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | 2.2e-7 m3/kg | 6.9e-9 m3/kg | 
| Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | 3.0826e-8 m3/mol | 1.68e-10 m3/mol | 
| Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | 0.0014716 | 0.000012 | 
Optical Properties | ||
| Refractive Index | - | - | 
Acoustic Properties | ||
| Speed of Sound | 2100 m/s | 4602 m/s | 
Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
| Property | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| Melting Point | 1071 K | 923 K | 
| Boiling Point | 3633 K | 1363 K | 
| Critical Temperature | - | - | 
| Superconducting Point | 0.022 | - | 
Enthalpies | ||
| Heat of Fusion | 5.5 kJ/mol | 8.7 kJ/mol | 
| Heat of Vaporization | 350 kJ/mol | 128 kJ/mol | 
| Heat of Combustion | - | -668 J/(kg K) | 
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
| Parameter | Cerium | Magnesium | 
|---|---|---|
| CAS Number | CAS7440-45-1 | CAS7439-95-4 | 
| RTECS Number | - | - | 
| DOT Hazard Class | 4.1 | 4.1 | 
| DOT Numbers | 1333 | {1869,1418} | 
| EU Number | - | - | 
| NFPA Fire Rating | 3 | 1 | 
| NFPA Health Rating | 2 | 0 | 
| NFPA Reactivity Rating | 2 | 1 | 
| NFPA Hazards | - | - | 
| AutoIgnition Point | - | 472 °C | 
| Flashpoint | - | 500 °C | 
Compare Cerium and Magnesium With Other Elements
Compare Cerium and Magnesium with other elements of the periodic table. Explore howCerium and Magnesium stack up against other elements of the periodic table. Use our interactive comparison tool to analyze 90+ properties across different metals, non-metals, metalloids, and noble gases. Understanding these differences is crucial for applications in engineering, chemistry, electronics, biology, and material science.








