Article
Article
Cerium
Article By:
Spedding, Frank H. Formerly, Ames Laboratory, Energy Research and Development Administration, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.121900
A chemical element, Ce, atomic number 58, atomic weight 140.12. It is the most abundant metallic element of the rare-earth group in the periodic table. The naturally occurring element is made up of the isotopes 136Ce, 138Ce, 140Ce, and 142Ce. A radioactive α-emitter, 142Ce has a half-life of 5 × 1015 years. Cerium occurs mixed with other rare earths in many minerals, particularly monazite and blastnasite, and is found among the products of the fission of uranium, thorium, and plutonium. See also: Periodic table
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