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Cerium

Two years after the 1801 discovery of the asteroid Ceres, scientists discovered a grey and malleable Lanthanide metal, and named it "cerium." With the exception of europium, cerium is the most reactive and most abundant of the rare earth metals.

This element's applications in industry vary. Cerium's catalytic properties are not only employed in petroleum refining, but also, in "self-cleaning" ovens. The metal is incorporated into oven walls to prevent the build-up of cooking residues.

Misch metal, which contains a high proportion of cerium, is used to manufacture pyrophoric alloys. In combination with iron, the alloy's pyrophoric property, due mainly to cerium, is used to produce flints and lighters.

Cerium oxide, an important compound, is an efficient polishing agent, and thus, it is used for polishing many types of glasses, including precision optical lenses. Furthermore, cerium improves picture quality in television tubes by reducing glass discoloration caused by electron radiation.