Element 58 · Lanthanide (Rare Earth)
Cerium
Cerium is the most abundant rare earth — used in catalytic converters, glass polishing, and lighter flints.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Ce
ATOMIC NO.
58
ATOMIC WEIGHT
140.12
CATEGORY
Lanthanide (Rare Earth)
PERIOD
Period 6
GROUP
Group 3
Historical Uses
Cerium was discovered in 1803 by Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger in Sweden, and independently by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in Germany. Named after Ceres, the asteroid (and Roman goddess) discovered just two years earlier in 1801. Carl Auer von Welsbach commercialised cerium-iron alloy (mischmetal) for incandescent gas mantles in 1891, creating the first mass-market rare earth application. Cigarette lighter flints (pyrophoric mischmetal, ~70% cerium) followed in the early 20th century.
Overview
Cerium is element 58, the most abundant of the rare earth metals. Despite its lanthanide series classification, it is more abundant in the Earth's crust than copper. Pure cerium is iron-grey and tarnishes rapidly. Mischmetal (a mixed cerium-lanthanum alloy) is the form most commonly traded commercially.
Current Uses
Cerium oxide is the standard polishing compound for glass and silicon wafers. Cerium-stabilised zirconia ceramics. Three-way catalytic converter substrates use cerium oxide for oxygen storage. Mischmetal flints for cigarette lighters and welding torches.
Not Commercially Viable for Scrap
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Cerium:
Same as other rare earths — recovery requires specialist chemical processing not available at general scrap yards.
Price Context
Cerium oxide (ceria) trades at approximately £2–5/kg. Mischmetal (cerium-rich rare earth alloy) trades at £5–15/kg. While cerium is the most abundant rare earth element, it is not a scrap yard metal — it is sourced from Chinese bastnasite/monazite refining.