58Ce

Cerium

Lanthanidesolidblock f

The most abundant rare earth, a metal that sparks when scratched and whose oxide polishes nearly every precision lens and glass screen made.

Atomic number58
Standard atomic weight140.12 g/mol ± 0.01
Group · periodf-block series · 6
Electron configuration[Xe] 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²

About Cerium

Cerium is the second f-block irregularity, keeping one electron in 5d alongside its single 4f electron, and it is the one lanthanide with an easily accessible 4+ state — the empty-shell stability of Ce⁴⁺ makes ceric ammonium nitrate a standard oxidising titrant and makes cerium separable from its siblings by simple oxidation. Mischmetal, an unrefined cerium-lanthanum alloy, is pyrophoric: drag steel across it and it throws sparks at 3000 °C, which is the flint in every disposable lighter and every fire steel in a hiking pack. Cerium oxide is also the universal optical polish, and in a catalytic converter it acts as an oxygen buffer, storing and releasing oxygen as the engine's air-fuel ratio swings.