 Discovery Information
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| Who: W. von Hisinger, J. Berzelius, M. Klaproth |
| When: 1803 |
| Where: Sweden/Germany |
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| Name Origin
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| From the asteroid Ceres discovered in 1801. |
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| Sources
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| Most abundant rare earth metal. Found in many minerals like monazite. |
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| Uses
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| Used in alloys to make them heat-resistant, it is also used in alloys that make permanent magnets.
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| Cerium is used as an alloying element in tungsten electrodes for gas tungsten arc welding.
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| Cerium compounds are used in the manufacture of glass, both as a component and as a decolouriser. |
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| Notes
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| Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements, making up about 0.0046% of the Earth's crust by weight.
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| Only europium is more reactive than cerium among rare earth elements.
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