10 Facts about Cerium

Sunday, November 15th 2015. | Chemistry

Facts about Cerium talk about the chemical element in the periodic table which has the atomic number 58. The symbol of the element is Ce. Cerium is very easy to oxidize in the air. It is a metal which has the ductile, silvery and soft texture. If you want to know more about Cerium, check the following post below:

Facts about Cerium 1: the name of this element

The name of this element is taken from the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest, Ceres. The name Ceres is also used to call the dwarf planet in the asteroid belt.

Facts about Cerium 2: the amount of Cerium in the earth crust

The amount of cerium in the earth’s crust is around 0.0046 percent. Even though it is considered as one of the rare earth elements, it is the most abundant one.

Cerium Facts

Facts about Cerium 3: the commercial application

There are various commercial applications of cerium. People use it for the additives to fuel for it can decrease the emission level. It is also used as a catalyst. People often use it to change the color of glass or enamels.

Facts about Cerium 4: other usages

There are many other uses of cerium. When people want to make the glass polishing powders, the cerium oxide is used. Get facts about beryllium here.

Cerium image

Facts about Cerium 5: the color

The color of Cerium is silvery. Therefore, people always associate it with iron. However, cerium has ductile and malleable texture. In the periodic table of elements, it is included in the lanthanide group.

Facts about Cerium 6: who discovered cerium?

Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger discovered cerium in Bastnäs in Sweden. Martin Heinrich Klaproth also discovered it independently in Germany.

Cerium

Facts about Cerium 7: who named it?

Berzelius called it Cerium after the name of the dwarf planet Ceres which was discovered in 1801. It was two years before Cerium was discovered.

Facts about Cerium 8: the purified cerium

The purified cerium was offered by the largest producer of rare earths in the world, Lindsay Chemical Division of American Potash and Chemical Corporation of West Chicago, Illinois in the end of 1950s. Find facts about asbestos here.