Cerium commonly forms Ce3+ Ce4+ in introductory ionic compounds.
| Element | Cerium |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Ce |
| Atomic number | 58 |
| Common ionic charge | +3, +4 |
| Common ions | Ce3+, Ce4+ |
Images are used as visual references; charge rules still depend on the compound.
Cerium is [Xe]4f1 5d1 6s2. Losing three electrons gives typical lanthanide Ce3+, but losing one more empties the f shell entirely (f0) — a stability bonus that makes Ce4+ uniquely accessible among the lanthanides. Praseodymium and terbium manage +4 only in special solids; cerium does it in aqueous solution.
This is a classroom reference range, not an exhaustive list of all oxidation states.
Applying 'lanthanides are always +3' to cerium redox problems. Ceric ammonium nitrate — a standard strong oxidizer on lab shelves — works precisely because Ce4+ hungrily grabs an electron to become Ce3+. The exception is the reagent.
Two O at -2 make cerium +4. In exhaust, CeO2 releases oxygen (cerium dropping toward +3) when the mix runs rich and re-oxidizes when lean — a solid-state oxygen bank cycling between the two charges thousands of times a minute.
Cerium chloride
Ce3+ balances chloride ions.
Cerium oxide
Cerium can form oxides where total positive and negative charge balances.
Ferrocerium alloy is neutral cerium and iron; scraping tears off hot particles that ignite in air as cerium oxidizes toward its oxide charges. The spark is rapid oxidation, not stored ions.
It both abrades and chemically reacts with glass surfaces — the Ce4+/Ce3+ couple participates in breaking silica bonds, polishing faster than inert grits of the same hardness.
Cerimetric titrations use Ce4+ → Ce3+ as a one-electron oxidizer with a clean color change from yellow toward colorless — sharper and more stable than permanganate for some analyses.
Combine positive and negative ions so the total charge is zero — or let the ionic compound calculator do the crossing for you. The full chart lives on the periodic table with charges.
Charges and element facts on this page are checked against the primary references below. Found an error? Email hello@periodictablewithcharges.com — corrections ship in the next content update. See how this site is edited.