Periodic Table Español

Cerium (Ce)

Cerium is a lanthanide with atomic number 58, in period 6, in the f-block of the periodic table. Its atomic mass is 140.116 u and its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s². Solid at 25 °C.

Key facts

Atomic number58
Atomic mass140.116 u
CategoryLanthanide
Period6
Groupf-block, no group number
Blockf
Electron configuration[Xe] 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²
Electrons per shell2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2
Electronegativity (Pauling)1.12
Oxidation states+2, +3, +4common in bold
State at 25 °CSolid
Melting point1071 K797.85 °C
Boiling point3697 K3423.85 °C
Density6.77 g/cm³

Atomic properties

First ionization energy5.539 eV
Electron affinity50 kJ/mol
Atomic radius181 pm
Covalent radius204 pm
Van der Waals radius235 pm
Common ionsCe³⁺
Protons, neutrons, electrons58, 82, 58

Physical and thermal properties

Molar volume20.69 cm³/mol
Heat of fusion5.5 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization350 kJ/mol
Specific heat192 J/(kg·K)
Thermal conductivity11 W/(m·K)
Thermal expansion6.3 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹
Mohs hardness2.5
Young’s modulus34 GPa
Crystal structureSimple hexagonal
Magnetic typeParamagnetic

Identification and history

CAS number7440-45-1
Latin nameCerium
Discovered byKlaproth, Berzelius, Hisinger · 1803
Named by---

Natural isotopes

IsotopeMass (u)Abundance
136Ce135.9071290.186 %
138Ce137.9059940.251 %
140Ce139.90544888.449 %
142Ce141.9092511.114 %

Data checked against PubChem (NIH), IUPAC, the NIST Atomic Spectra Database and the IAEA (NUBASE and AME), the same data you see in the app.

A dash (---) means there is no reliable published measurement. The app never makes one up.

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