Cerium
By: Aidan Borry
Physical Properties of Cerium
The element Cerium is abbreviated Ce. The atomic mass is 140.12 with an atomic radius of 158pm. Its density is 6.689 g/cc. Cerium melts at 798 degrees Celsius(1468F) and boils at 3,360 degrees Celsius(6080F). When it is at room temperature it is a solid. It has a very rustic and iron-like color, with a crystalline structure inside. Cerium has a high conductivity due to the heat it gives off when it is struck with another substance. The malleability is fairly low. It is between hard and soft but wears down as the years pass.
Chemical Properties
Its flammability is very high. Cerium is easily sparked and can burn very easily while producing Nitrogen and Hydrogenated Carbon. It is able to keep a flame for many minutes until the chemicals inside are completely burned out. The reactivity is very high with Cerium. It will react with any metal and burns very slowly when in contact with water and it will form Cerium Hydroxide.
Cerium sparking with metal
Making sparks from contact with a piece of metal
Even businesses have put danger signs up due to its high reactivity
Information about the structure
Mass Number: 140
Atomic Number 58
Protons: 58
Neutrons: 82
Electrons: 58
Location on the periodic table
Towards the bottom and is in all black letters not blue, red, or white.
History of Cerium
First discovered in 1803 in Germany and in parts of Sweden. Jons Jacob Berzelius and Wilhem Hisinger were the first two individuals to discover the element. The two scientists were out looking at rocks and found a dark, blackish rock and struck it against another. It produced a spark as two surfaces touched and that became known as Cerium.
Applications & Uses
Cerium is used in many lighters due the ability to easily spark and ignite other substances. It is also used in many special effects like fireworks because it can act like a fuse. Many movie sets will use Cerium because the sparks will add effect while not causing a massive blaze. There are four known isotopes related to Cerium. Ce-140 is used for the radioisotope Ce-141 that is used in medical equipment and supplies. Ce-38 and Ce-36 have no known uses but are predicted to undergo beta decay in the future. There is a specific compound CeCI13. When this is combined and formed, it can be used to form and shape glass. There is also CeO2. This creates a blue flame that you see when cooking or in very hot fires.
Name & Symbol
Cerium was named after an asteroid, Ceres. The asteroid was named after the Roman God with that name. Ceres is also a dwarf planet in between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists thought that the trail of fire in the sky looked like the sparks that were emitted from Cerium.
Fun Facts
It can oxidize at room temperature and decompose very fast in hot water. It can also be fond in many minerals including Monazite, Allanite and Cerite. Large deposits have been found recently in Brazil and in California
Works Cited
Element Card: Gray, Theodore W. (2008). The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements.
Elements Book: Gray, Theodore W. (2009). The Elements: A visual exploration of every known atom in the universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
Website: Emsley, John, ed. "Cerium." Royal Society of Chemistry. N.p., 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 December. 2015.
Picture Sources
http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/history/berzelius.html