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57. Lanthanum 59. Praseodymium

58Ce140.12

Cerium

Lanthanides

Rare-earth metals used in strong magnets, phone screens and lasers.

[Xe] 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²

Atomic number: 58
Atomic mass: 140.12
Protons: 58
Neutrons: 82 (most common)
Electrons: 58
Shells: 2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2
State at 25 °C: Solid
Position: Period 6, f-block

Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)

Discovered byJöns Jacob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger, 1803Jöns Jacob Berzelius: 4 elements Martin Heinrich Klaproth: 3 elements

Named after Ceres, then newly discovered in the asteroid belt.

Did you know?

It is the most abundant rare-earth element.
Scraping a ferrocerium rod throws out hot sparks.

Where it's found

Monazite sands, including in Kerala

What it's used for

Lighter flints (ferrocerium)
Polishing glass
Catalytic converters

Try it

There's no safe home experiment for Cerium. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.