Uses Of Cerium

     Cerium is known for being the most abundant of the rare-earth metals and the next closest competitor is almost half of the PPM as cerium.  Cerium is found abundantly all over the world.  The minerals that cerium is found in are allanite, monazite, bastanite, certie, and smarskatinite. Monazite and bastanite contain the most amount of cerium and has been mined on the beaches of Tracancore, India, in the river sands of Brazil.  However the most biggest abundance of bastanite is found off the coast of California and will provide the world with Thorium, Cerium and other rare earth metals for many years to come.  Allanite is the most rare and can only be found along sands in the western United States.

     Cerium has the most practical uses of the rare-earth metals.  However, most of these practical uses come out of the oxide form of cerium.  This is because pure cerium will ignite if scratched by a soft object. Pure cerium has three known practical uses today.  Cerium is used in the new discovery of Carbon-arc lighting.  Because cerium can be protected within the lamp it can be safely used.  Carbon arc lights throw off so much energy that a high-heat capacity is needed.  Cerium can take heat easy so cerium is used when the Carbon-Arc lights are illuminating movie sets and projector screens. Cerium is also used in a component called Misch Metal.  Which is very important in making flint for lighters.  The last use of pure cerium is that cerium can aid in the refining of petroleum which is used as an alloying metal to form unique metals used today.  If a way to control pure cerium is ever found, then cerium would have way more than just three uses.

The oxidized form of cerium is extremely stable and has many practical uses.  Recently, Cerium oxide has been one of the main components to the new self cleaning ovens.  Cerium is also used to clean the inscadescent self cleaning mantles.  Ever since cerium was brought to the U.S., the oxidized form of cerium has been used in polishing, cleaning, coloring, and even making glass objects.  Because cerium is the most abundant of the rare-earth metals, as time moves on it will be more and more important two our lives.