Element: Cerium
General data
| Element name | Cerium |
|---|---|
| Chemical symbol | Ce |
| Atomic number Z | 58 |
| Year discovered | 1803 |
| Standard state (25°C) | Solid |
| Category | Lanthanide |
| Block | f |
| Atomic mass | 140.12 |
| CPK color | #FFFFC7 |
Physical properties
| Melting point | 1071 K (798 °C) |
|---|---|
| Boiling point | 3697 K (3424 °C) |
| Density | 6.77 g/cm³ |
Energy properties
| First ionization energy | 5.539 eV |
|---|---|
| Electron affinity | 0.5 eV |
Atomic structure
| Protons | 58 (Atomic number) |
|---|---|
| Neutrons (Ce-140, most abundant isotope) | 82 |
| Electrons | 58 |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 6s² 4f¹ 5d¹ |
| Oxidation states | +4, +3 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.12 |
| Atomic radius (van der Waals) | 235 pm |
Ionization energies - NIST ASD (58 states)
| State | Charge | Ioniz. energy (eV) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ce I | 0+ | 5.5386 ± 0.0004 | measured |
| Ce II | 1+ | 10.956 ± 0.02 | semi-empirical |
| Ce III | 2+ | 20.1974 ± 0.0025 | semi-empirical |
| Ce IV | 3+ | 36.906 ± 0.009 | semi-empirical |
| Ce V | 4+ | 65.55 ± 0.25 | semi-empirical |
| Ce VI | 5+ | 77.6 ± 1.2 | semi-empirical |
| Ce VII | 6+ | 91 ± 2 | calculated |
| Ce VIII | 7+ | 106 ± 2.1 | calculated |
| Ce IX | 8+ | 125 ± 2.2 | calculated |
| Ce X | 9+ | 140 ± 2.2 | calculated |
| Ce XI | 10+ | 172 ± 2.4 | calculated |
| Ce XII | 11+ | 192.24 ± 0.12 | semi-empirical |
| Ce XIII | 12+ | 312 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XIV | 13+ | 340 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XV | 14+ | 371 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XVI | 15+ | 403 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XVII | 16+ | 435 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XVIII | 17+ | 472 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XIX | 18+ | 509 ± 3 | calculated |
| Ce XX | 19+ | 543 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXI | 20+ | 579 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXII | 21+ | 613 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXIII | 22+ | 749 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXIV | 23+ | 785 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXV | 24+ | 824 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXVI | 25+ | 862 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXVII | 26+ | 924 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXVIII | 27+ | 965 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXIX | 28+ | 1060 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXX | 29+ | 1103.5 ± 0.5 | semi-empirical |
| Ce XXXI | 30+ | 1908 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXXII | 31+ | 1994 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXXIII | 32+ | 2087 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXXIV | 33+ | 2185 ± 5 | calculated |
| Ce XXXV | 34+ | 2280 ± 5 | calculated |
| Ce XXXVI | 35+ | 2378 ± 5 | calculated |
| Ce XXXVII | 36+ | 2500 ± 5 | calculated |
| Ce XXXVIII | 37+ | 2600 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XXXIX | 38+ | 2706 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XL | 39+ | 2806 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLI | 40+ | 3087 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLII | 41+ | 3176 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLIII | 42+ | 3274 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLIV | 43+ | 3366 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLV | 44+ | 3570 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLVI | 45+ | 3672 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLVII | 46+ | 3865 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLVIII | 47+ | 3963 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce XLIX | 48+ | 9020 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce L | 49+ | 9269 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce LI | 50+ | 9545 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce LII | 51+ | 9803 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce LIII | 52+ | 10542 ± 4 | calculated |
| Ce LIV | 53+ | 10840 ± 5 | calculated |
| Ce LV | 54+ | 11210 ± 5 | calculated |
| Ce LVI | 55+ | 11459.85 ± 0.06 | calculated |
| Ce LVII | 56+ | 46840.31 ± 0.05 | calculated |
| Ce LVIII | 57+ | 47965.89 ± 0.03 | calculated |
Value type as given by NIST ASD: measured - from evaluated experimental data; calculated - from ab initio calculations (mostly highly ionised atoms that have not been measured; for the simplest ones, e.g. H I, the calculation is more accurate than measurement); semi-empirical - from interpolation, extrapolation or another semi-empirical method.
Photos
Isotopes (38)
| A | N | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ce-121 | 63 | 1.1 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-122 | 64 | unknown | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-123 | 65 | 3.8 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-124 | 66 | 9.1 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-125 | 67 | 9.7 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-126 | 68 | 51.0 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-127 | 69 | 34 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-128 | 70 | 4.0 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-129 | 71 | 3.5 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-130 | 72 | 22.9 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-131 | 73 | 10.3 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-132 | 74 | 3.51 h | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-133 | 75 | 97 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-134 | 76 | 3.22 d | EC |
| Ce-135 | 77 | 17.7 h | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-136 | 78 | stable | - |
| Ce-137 | 79 | 9.11 h | EC/β⁺ |
| Ce-138 | 80 | stable | - |
| Ce-139 | 81 | 137.64 d | EC |
| Ce-140 | 82 | stable | - |
| Ce-141 | 83 | 32.504 d | β⁻ |
| Ce-142 | 84 | stable | - |
| Ce-143 | 85 | 33.037 h | β⁻ |
| Ce-144 | 86 | 284.89 d | β⁻ |
| Ce-145 | 87 | 3.02 min | β⁻ |
| Ce-146 | 88 | 13.22 min | β⁻ |
| Ce-147 | 89 | 56.4 s | β⁻ |
| Ce-148 | 90 | 56.8 s | β⁻ |
| Ce-149 | 91 | 5.2 s | β⁻ |
| Ce-150 | 92 | 6.05 s | β⁻ |
| Ce-151 | 93 | 1.74 s | β⁻ |
| Ce-152 | 94 | 1.42 s | β⁻ |
| Ce-153 | 95 | 870 ms | β⁻ |
| Ce-154 | 96 | 722 ms | β⁻ |
| Ce-155 | 97 | 313 ms | β⁻ |
| Ce-156 | 98 | 233 ms | β⁻ |
| Ce-157 | 99 | 180 ms | β⁻ |
| Ce-158 | 100 | 100 ms | β⁻ |
Data sources
- PubChem Periodic Table API - Retrieved on 29 June 2026 - licence: CC0
- IUPAC CIAAW - Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024 - Table version: 2024 - licence: Public domain
- NNDC Wallet Cards 2023 - Data as of 15 October 2024 - licence: Public domain
- NIST Atomic Spectra Database (ASD) - Retrieved on 29 June 2026 - licence: © U.S. Secretary of Commerce
- Images of Elements - Retrieved on 29 June 2026 - licence: CC BY 3.0