Properties of Cerium

Important Compounds involving Cerium= Ce₂O₃ (Cerium 3 Oxide), CeO₂ (Cerium 4 Oxide), CeCl₃ (Cerium 3 Chloride), CeCl₄ (Cerium 4 Chloride), Ce₂(SO₄)₂ (Cerium Sulfate), Ce(SO₄)₂ (Cerium 3 Sulfate), Ce(SO₄)₂

  Cerium is a shiny, gray, soft, malleable, ductile metal.  Cerium oxidizes quickly in moister air and decomposes at an incredibly high rate in water.  Pure cerium metal is so pure that even the friction of scratching it can cause the metal to burst into flames.  Cerium is part of the periodic group called the lanthanides.  Cerium is the first element in the lanthanide group, hence its periodic number of 58.  Cerium is also a member of the rare-earth metals.  Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth metals at 46 parts per million on the earth's crust.  Even though pure cerium is not radioactive, when some forms of the 22 isotopes are submerged in extremely low temperatures, cerium can emit alpha beta and gamma radiation, thus causing cerium to be a health hazard when frozen.

    Cerium has an incredible amount of isotopes with atomic weights between 129-151.  However, below is the isotopes that have a measurable abundance on the earths crust