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Names | |
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IUPAC name Cerium(III) oxide | |
Other names Cerium sesquioxide | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) | |
ChemSpider | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.014.289 |
EC Number |
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PubChem CID | |
UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
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Properties | |
Ce2O3 | |
Molar mass | 328.229 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | yellow-green dust[ citation needed ] |
Density | 6.2 g/cm3 |
Melting point | 2,177 °C (3,951 °F; 2,450 K) |
Boiling point | 3,730 °C (6,750 °F; 4,000 K) |
insoluble | |
Solubility in sulfuric acid | soluble |
Solubility in hydrochloric acid | insoluble |
Structure | |
Hexagonal, hP5 | |
P3m1, No. 164 | |
Hazards | |
GHS labelling: | |
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Related compounds | |
Other anions | Cerium(III) chloride |
Other cations | Lanthanum(III) oxide, Praseodymium(III) oxide |
Related compounds | Cerium(IV) oxide |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). |
Cerium(III) oxide, also known as cerium oxide, cerium trioxide, cerium sesquioxide, cerous oxide or dicerium trioxide, is an oxide of the rare-earth metal cerium. It has chemical formula Ce2O3 and is gold-yellow in color. According to X-ray crystallography, the Ce(III) ions are seven-coordinate, a motif typical for other trivalent lanthanide oxides. [1]
Cerium oxide is of commercial interest as a catalyst for oxidation of carbon monoxide and reduction of NOx . These applications exploit the facility of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) redox couple. [2] It is used in catalytic converters ("three-way catalytic converter") for the minimisation of CO emissions in the exhaust gases from motor vehicles. When there is a shortage of oxygen, cerium(IV) oxide oxidizes carbon monoxide to the benign dioxide: [3] [4]
When oxygen is in surplus, the process is reversed and cerium(III) oxide is oxidized to cerium(IV) oxide:
Cerium oxide-based catalysts have been intensively investigated for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx. Such technologies, which tend to use vanadium oxide-based catalysts rather than ceria, are associated with power plants, foundries, cement factories and other energy-intensive facilities. [5]
Cerium oxide finds use as a fuel additive to diesel fuels,[ clarification needed ] which results in increased fuel efficiency and decreased hydrocarbon derived particulate matter emissions, [6] however the health effects of the cerium oxide bearing engine exhaust is a point of study and dispute. [7] [8] [9]
The cerium(IV) oxide–cerium(III) oxide cycle or CeO2/Ce2O3 cycle is a two step thermochemical water splitting process based on cerium(IV) oxide and cerium(III) oxide for hydrogen production. [10] [2]
Cerium(III) oxide combined with tin(II) oxide (SnO) in ceramic form is used for illumination with UV light. It absorbs light with a wavelength of 320 nm and emits light with a wavelength of 412 nm. [11] This combination of cerium(III) oxide and tin(II) oxide is rare, and obtained only with difficulty on a laboratory scale.[ citation needed ]
Cerium(III) oxide is produced by the reduction of cerium(IV) oxide with hydrogen at approximately 1,400 °C (2,550 °F). Samples produced in this way are only slowly air-oxidized back to the dioxide at room temperature. [12]