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 number | 58 |
| Standard atomic weight | 140.12 g/mol ± 0.01 |
| Group · period | f-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.
Moles from Mass (n = m/M)
Opens with M = 140.12 g/mol already filled in
Gas Density from Molar Mass
Opens with M = 140.12 g/mol already filled in
Faraday's Law of Electrolysis (m = QM/nF)
Opens with M = 140.12 g/mol already filled in
Ion Concentration as CaCO₃ Equivalent
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Acid Feed to Reduce Alkalinity
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