What do you use cerium for

Cerium is a grey lustrous metal that is malleable, and one of the most reactive of the rare-earth metals, also called lanthanides. It oxidizes readily at room temperature. It can decompose slowly in cold water, and very rapidly in hot water. The metal can be attacked by alkaline solutions, dilute and concentrate acids.

When scratched with a knife, the pure metal of cerium may ignite. Pure cerium will ignite if it is scratched with a sharp object, but can be safely used if combined with other materials. Cerium is one of the rare earth elements used to make carbon arc lights which are used in the motion picture industry for studio lighting and projector lights. Cerium is also a component of Misch metal, a material that is used to make flints for lighters.

Cerium is also used as a catalyst to refine petroleum and as an alloying agent to make special metals. Cerium oxide Ce 2 O 3 and CeO 2 is a component of the walls of self cleaning ovens and of incandescent lantern mantles. Cerium oxide is also used to polish glass surfaces. Ceric sulfate Ce So 4 2 is used in some chemical analysis processes.

All new cars are now equipped with catalytic conveter which consist in a ceramic or metal substrate, a coating of aluminium and cerium oxides and a layer of finely dispersed metal such as platinum or rhodium , which is the active surface.

Cerium sulphide Ce 2 S 3 is likely to replace cadmium in red pigments for containers, toys, household wares and crates, since cadmium is now considered environmentally undesiderable. Other uses of cerium are in flat-screen televisions, low-energy light bulbs and magnetic-optic compact discs, in chromium plating.

The use of cerium is still growing, due to the fact that it is suited to produce catalysers and to polish glass. Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements. It makes up about 0. Cerium comes mainly from the major lanthanide ores but some is obtained from perovskite, a titanium mineral and allanite, both of which can have enough cerium to make them viable sources. Production amounts to Cerium is one of the rare chemicals, that can be found in houses in equipment such as colour televisions, fluorescent lamps, energy-saving lamps and glasses.

All rare chemicals have comparable properties. Cerium is mostly dangerous in the working environment, due to the fact that damps and gasses can be inhaled with air. This can cause lung embolisms, especially during long-term exposure. Cerium can be a threat to the liver when it accumulates in the human body. Cerium has no know biological role, but it has been noted that cerium salts stimulate metabolism.