Chlorides

It is also known as Cerium Hydroxide and is a base material for manufacturing of glass polishing powder, It is a water insoluble crystalline Cerium source for uses compatible with higher (basic) pH environments. The commercial applications for cerium include metallurgy, glass and glass polishing, ceramics, catalysts, and in phosphors. It is easily available in most volumes. Ultra high purity and high purity compositions improve both optical quality and usefulness as scientific standards.

Cerium is found in nature along with other lanthanide elements in the minerals alanite, bastanite, monazite, cerite, and samarskite; however, only bastanite and monazite are important sources commercially. Because of its unique stability in the tetravalent state (other lanthanides are stable in only the trivalent state), cerium can be separated out from the other rare-earth elements through oxidation (forming CeO2) followed by variable solubility filtration.

Exposure to commercially used cerium compounds is most likely through exposure to cerium (ceric) hydrate. It is used either in the pure form or in a concentrate as a polishing agent for glass mirrors, plate glass, television tubes, ophthalmic lenses, and precision optics. Cerium hydrate is used as a glass constituent to prevent solarization and discoloration (especially in the faceplates of television screens).

Cerium hydrate is also used in emission control systems in gasoline engines and as a diesel fuel-born catalyst to reduce particulate matter emissions. Also, Cerium nitrate has been used as a topical treatment for burn wounds. Cerium is most heavily used in the form of mischmetal for metallurgical purposes. Cerium is the major component of mischmetal (50–75% by weight for the most common grades), a commercial mixture of metallic light lanthanides prepared by the electrolysis of mixed lanthanide chlorides and fluorides obtained from bastanite or monazite.

Cerium Hydroxide is a highly water insoluble crystalline Cerium source for uses compatible with higher (basic) pH environments. Cerium Hydroxide is generally immediately available in most volumes. Cerium metal is used in ferrocerium lighters for its pyrophoric properties. Cerium-doped YAG phosphor is used in blue light-emitting diodes to produce white light.