Lanthanum and Cerium - Comparison - Properties

This article contains comparison of key thermal and atomic properties of lanthanum and cerium, two comparable chemical elements from the periodic table. It also contains basic descriptions and applications of both elements. Lanthanum vs Cerium.

lanthanum and cerium - comparison

Compare lanthanum with another element

Compare cerium with another element

Lanthanum and Cerium – About Elements

Lanthanum

Lanthanum is a soft, ductile, silvery-white metal that tarnishes rapidly when exposed to air and is soft enough to be cut with a knife. It is the eponym of the lanthanide series, a group of 15 similar elements between lanthanum and lutetium in the periodic table, of which lanthanum is the first and the prototype. It is also sometimes considered the first element of the 6th-period transition metals and is traditionally counted among the rare earth elements.

Cerium

Cerium is a soft, ductile and silvery-white metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and it is soft enough to be cut with a knife. Cerium is the second element in the lanthanide series. Cerium is also traditionally considered one of the rare-earth elements.

Lanthanum in Periodic Table

Cerium in Periodic Table

Source: www.luciteria.com

Lanthanum and Cerium – Applications

Lanthanum

Lanthanum is not extensively used metal. However, its alloys have a variety of interesting uses. A lanthanum-nickel alloy is used to store hydrogen gas for use in hydrogen-powered vehicles. Lanthanum is also found in the anode of nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH) used in hybrid cars. Lanthanum is an important component of mischmetal alloy. A typical composition includes approximately 55% cerium, 25% lanthanum, and 15-18% neodymium with other rare earth metals following. The best-known use for this alloy is in ‘flints’ for cigarette lighters.

Cerium

Cerium is an important component of mischmetal alloy. Ferrocerium is a synthetic pyrophoric alloy that produces hot sparks that can reach temperatures of 3,000 °C (5,430 °F) when rapidly oxidized by the process of striking the rod, thereby fragmenting it and exposing those fragments to the oxygen in the air. A typical composition includes approximately 55% cerium, 25% lanthanum, and 15-18% neodymium with other rare earth metals following. The best-known use for this alloy is in ‘flints’ for cigarette lighters. Ceria is the most widely used compound of cerium. The main application of ceria is as a polishing compound, for example in chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP).

Lanthanum and Cerium – Comparison in Table

Element	Lanthanum	Cerium
Density	6.146 g/cm	6.689 g/cm3
Ultimate Tensile Strength	130 MPa	100 MPa
Yield Strength	125 MPa	90 MPa
Young’s Modulus of Elasticity	36.6 GPa	33.6 GPa
Mohs Scale	2.5	2.5
Brinell Hardness	350 MPa	412 MPa
Vickers Hardness	360 MPa	300 MPa
Melting Point	920 °C	798 °C
Boiling Point	3454 °C	3457 °C
Thermal Conductivity	13 W/mK	11 W/mK
Thermal Expansion Coefficient	12.1 µm/mK	6.3 µm/mK
Specific Heat	0.19 J/g K	0.19 J/g K
Heat of Fusion	6.2 kJ/mol	5.46 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization	414 kJ/mol	414 kJ/mol