| Tecken | Ce |
| Atomnummer | 58 |
| Grupp | - |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | f |
| Ämnesklass | Lantanoid |
| Utseende | Silvery white |
| Färg | Silver |
| Antal protoner | 58 p+ |
| Antal neutroner | 82 n0 |
| Antal elektroner | 58 e- |
| Fas vid STP | Fast |
| Densitet | 6.77 g/cm3 |
| Relativ atommassa | 140.116 u |
| Smältpunkt | 1068 K 794.85 °C 1462.73 °F |
| Kokpunkt | 3716 K 3442.85 °C 6229.13 °F |
| Ångbildningsvärme | 313.8 kJ/mol |
| Elektronegativitet (Paulingskalan) | 1.12 |
| Elektronaffinitet | 55 kJ/mol |
| Oxidationstal | +1, +2, +3, +4 (a mildly basic oxide) |
| Jonisationspotential |
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| Upptäckt | Martin Heinrich Klaproth, Wilhelm Hisinger, Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1803) |
| Första isolation | Carl Gustaf Mosander (1838) |
| Namngivare | Jöns Jacob Berzelius |
Upptäckten av cerium Cerium was discovered in Bastnäs in Sweden by Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger, and independently in Germany by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, both in 1803. Cerium was named by Berzelius after the asteroid Ceres, discovered two years earlier. The asteroid is itself named after the Roman goddess Ceres, goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. Cerium was originally isolated in the form of its oxide, which was named ceria, a term that is still used. Ceria, as isolated in 1803, contained all of the lanthanides present in the cerite ore from Bastnäs, Sweden, and thus only contained about 45% of what is now known to be pure ceria. It was not until Carl Gustaf Mosander succeeded in removing lanthana and "didymia" in the late 1830s that ceria was obtained pure. | |