Cerium

Ce

Arielle
Basic Info:

Atomic Mass: 140.116

Melting Point: 1071 K

Boiling Point: 3697 K

Element Classification: Metal

Period #: 6

Group: 4B

Family: Lanthanide/Rare Earth
Discovery:

In 1803 by the Swedish chemists Jons Jacob Berxelius and Wilhem von Hisinger.
Description at Room Temperature:

Malleable, solid, iron-gray, oxidizes slowly in water, heats rapidly, dissolves in acids, burns when heated, or scratched.
A toy made by cerium
Fun Facts:

-The name cerium originates from the asteroid Ceres after which it was named.

-It is the most abundant of the rare earth metals

-It is dumped in the water damages water animals' cell membranes, which negatively influences reproduction and functions of the nervous system.
Another toy made partly of cerium
Isolation:
  • not normally made in labs because found in nature
  • mostly found in minerals such as xenotime, monazite, and bastraesite
  • cerium most common in these minerals
  • usually not particularly necessary to seperate the metals but if required it is complex
Purification Techniques:
  • pure Cerium is available through the electrolysis of a mix of molten CeCl3 and NaCl in a graphite cell which acts as cathode using graphite as anode.
The Atomic Structure of Cerium
It's Elementary