Cerium

Atomic number

58

Atomic mass (u)

140.116

Category

Lanthanide

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

797.85 °C (1071 K)

Boiling point

3423.85 °C (3697 K)

Density (g/cm³)

6.770

Electronegativity (Pauling)

1.12

Electron configuration

[Xe]6s2 4f1 5d1

Oxidation states

+4, +3

Atomic radius (pm)

235

First ionization energy (eV)

5.539

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1803

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger

Date or period recorded by RSC

1803

Discovery place

Not supplied in the structured record; see the RSC history source.

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Cerium is the most abundant of the lanthanides.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.