Valences cerium

About 25 years ago it was rare that any scientist would speak about 4f electrons being involved in bonding, since everyone knew that the 4f electrons were localized in the ion core and were well shielded by the 5p and 5s electrons, especially in the case of the lanthanide metals. However, a few scientists led by Matthias and Gschneidner believed that some of the properties of the lanthanide elements were sufficiently anomalous with respect to the rest of the periodic table that just the (5d6s) valence electrons could not account for these behaviors. Slowly the evidence built up, such that today virtually everyone believes that there is some hybridization of the 4f electrons with the outer 5d and 6s electrons, especially in the light lanthanides (see, e.g., Freeman et al. 1987). The work on intermediate valence cerium and more recently the heavy-fermion studies (see section 4.4.4) convinced even the most conservative scientists that 4f electrons must be involved. Reference to the early papers on this subject can be found in the article by Gschneidner (1971). 

Cerium is especially intereshng because of its variable electronic structure. The energy of the inner 4f level is nearly the same as that of the outer or valence electrons, and only small amounts of energy are required to change the relahve occupancy of these electronic levels. This gives rise to dual valency states. 

For example, a volume change of about 10 percent occurs when cerium is subjected to high pressures or low temperatures. Cesium s valence appears to change from about 3 to 4 when it is cooled or compressed. The low temperature behavior of cerium is complex. 

Although rare-earth ions are mosdy trivalent, lanthanides can exist in the divalent or tetravalent state when the electronic configuration is close to the stable empty, half-fUed, or completely fiUed sheUs. Thus samarium, europium, thuUum, and ytterbium can exist as divalent cations in certain environments. On the other hand, tetravalent cerium, praseodymium, and terbium are found, even as oxides where trivalent and tetravalent states often coexist. The stabili2ation of the different valence states for particular rare earths is sometimes used for separation from the other trivalent lanthanides. The chemicals properties of the di- and tetravalent ions are significantly different. 

Cerium, at wt 140.12 electron configuration [Xe] is characterized chemically by having two stable valence states, Ce ", cerous, and Ce" ", ceric,... 

Hydroxide. Freshly precipitated cerous hydroxide [15785-09-8] Ce(OH)2, is readily oxidized by air or oxygenated water, through poorly defined violet-tinged mixed valence intermediates, to the tetravalent buff colored ceric hydroxide [12014-56-17, Ce(OH)4. The precipitate, which can prove difficult to filter, is amorphous and on drying converts to hydrated ceric oxide, Ce02 2H20. This commercial material, cerium hydrate [23322-64-7] behaves essentially as a reactive cerium oxide. 

Ln(II) in LnFj Ln(II) were determined after samples dissolution in H PO in the presence of a titrated solution of NFI VO, which excess was titrated with the Fe(II) salt. It was found that dissolution of the materials based on CeF CeFj in H PO does not change the oxidation state of cerium, thus phosphate complexes of Ce(III, IV) can be used for quantitative spectrophotometric determination of cerium valence forms. The contents of Ln(II, III) in Ln S LnS may be counted from results of the determination of total sulfur (determined gravimetric ally in BaSO form) and sum of the reducers - S and Ln(II) (determined by iodometric method). 

Cerium is one of the most widely used activators, which improve the working characteristics of many scintillators. Determination of the valence state of cerium in single crystals of alkaline and rare-earth borates allows to establish the nature of activator centers for purposeful influence on the scintillation efficiency of the matrix. 

The valences of the rare-earth metals are calculated from their magnetic properties, as reported by Klemm and Bommer.14 It is from the fine work of these investigators that the lattice constants of the rare-earth metals have in the main been taken. The metals lutecium and ytterbium have only a very small paramagnetism, indicating a completed 4/ subshell and hence the valences 3 and 2, respectively (with not over 3% of trivalent ytterbium present in the metal). The observed paramagnetism of cerium at room temperature corresponds to about 20% Ce4+ and 80% Ce3+, that of praseodymium and that of neodymium to about 10% of the quadripositive ion in each case, and that of samarium to about 20% of the bipositive ion in equilibrium with the tripositive ion. 

Redox titrants (mainly in acetic acid) are bromine, iodine monochloride, chlorine dioxide, iodine (for Karl Fischer reagent based on a methanolic solution of iodine and S02 with pyridine, and the alternatives, methyl-Cellosolve instead of methanol, or sodium acetate instead of pyridine (see pp. 204-205), and other oxidants, mostly compounds of metals of high valency such as potassium permanganate, chromic acid, lead(IV) or mercury(II) acetate or cerium(IV) salts reductants include sodium dithionate, pyrocatechol and oxalic acid, and compounds of metals at low valency such as iron(II) perchlorate, tin(II) chloride, vanadyl acetate, arsenic(IV) or titanium(III) chloride and chromium(II) chloride. 

Roman numerals in parentheses indicate the oxidation or valence states. These are the effective ionic charges of cerium atoms and ions or as they exist in chemical compounds. 

The transition-metal and rare-earth core-line XPS spectra show little, if any, BE shifts at all. Nevertheless, information about atomic charge and valence states can be extracted by examining other features in the spectra. The plasmon loss satellite intensity found in the spectra of Co-containing compounds provides a particularly useful handle on the Co charge. The lineshapes of RE spectra are characteristic of their valence state, as seen in the distinction between trivalent and tetravalent cerium in CeFe4Pni2 compounds. 

Symbol Nd atomic number 60 atomic weight 144.24 a rare earth lanthanide element a hght rare earth metal of cerium group an inner transition metal characterized by partially filled 4/ subshell electron configuration [Xe]4/35di6s2 most common valence state -i-3 other oxidation state +2 standard electrode potential, Nd + -i- 3e -2.323 V atomic radius 1.821 A (for CN 12) ionic radius, Nd + 0.995A atomic volume 20.60 cc/mol ionization potential 6.31 eV seven stable isotopes Nd-142 (27.13%), Nd-143 (12.20%), Nd-144 (23.87%), Nd-145 (8.29%), Nd-146 (17.18%), Nd-148 (5.72%), Nd-150 (5.60%) twenty-three radioisotopes are known in the mass range 127-141, 147, 149, 151-156. 

The monazite sand is heated with sulfuric acid at about 120 to 170°C. An exothermic reaction ensues raising the temperature to above 200°C. Samarium and other rare earths are converted to their water-soluble sulfates. The residue is extracted with water and the solution is treated with sodium pyrophosphate to precipitate thorium. After removing thorium, the solution is treated with sodium sulfate to precipitate rare earths as their double sulfates, that is, rare earth sulfates-sodium sulfate. The double sulfates are heated with sodium hydroxide to convert them into rare earth hydroxides. The hydroxides are treated with hydrochloric or nitric acid to solubihze all rare earths except cerium. The insoluble cerium(IV) hydroxide is filtered. Lanthanum and other rare earths are then separated by fractional crystallization after converting them to double salts with ammonium or magnesium nitrate. The samarium—europium fraction is converted to acetates and reduced with sodium amalgam to low valence states. The reduced metals are extracted with dilute acid. As mentioned above, this fractional crystallization process is very tedious, time-consuming, and currently rare earths are separated by relatively easier methods based on ion exchange and solvent extraction. 

The rare earth oxides have a number of distinguishing properties important in catalytic applications. The oxides are basic O) compared to alumina, lanthanum oxide (La203) being the most basic. The oxides also have good thermal stability, a valuable characteristic in most industrial applications. Some rare earths including cerium, praseodymium, and terbium form non-stoichiomet-ric oxides ( ), an important property shared by many good oxidation catalysts. These mixed valence state compounds are typically polymorphic. 

When the itinerant state is formed, a volume collapse AV/V is always encountered, as predicted by the theory of the preceding sections. In one of the lanthanides, cerium, this volume collapse is particularly accentuated for its isostructural transition from the y to the a form, possibly associated with a change in metallic valence from three to four (both oxidation numbers are stable in cerium chemistry) (see Fig. 1 of Chap. A),... 

Only cerium has a higher state that is stable in solution, Ce4 corresponding lo the removal of all four valence electrons. The +4 state is a powerful oxidant, with a reduction potential to the + 3 state that is very dependent upon the acid in which it is dissolved (e.g. in sulfuric acid the reduction potential is +1.44 V, in nitric(V) acid +1.61 V, and in chloric(VTT) acid + 1.70 V, indicating some ion pair formation in the first two examples). Praseodymium and terbium have +4 oxides, but these dissolve in acidic solution to give the corresponding + 3 states and dioxygen. 

Cerous iodates and the iodates of the other rare earths form crystalline salts sparingly soluble in water, but readily soluble in cone, nitric acid, and in this respect differ from the ceric, zirconium, and thorium iodates, which are almost insoluble in nitric acid when an excess of a soluble iodate is present. It may also be noted that cerium alone of all the rare earth elements is oxidized to a higher valence by potassium bromate in nitric acid soln. The iodates of the rare earths are precipitated by adding an alkali iodate to the rare earth salts, and the fact that the rare earth iodates are soluble in nitric acid, and the solubility increases as the electro-positive character of the element increases, while thorium iodate is insoluble in nitric acid, allows the method to be used for the separation of these elements. Trihydrated erbium iodate, Er(I03)3.3H20, and trihydrated yttrium iodate, Yt(I03)3.3H20,... 

The smaller of the two single-bond radii indicated for cerium in Figure 11-10 relates to a modification of the metal that was discovered27 after a search for it had been initiated as a result of the consideration of Figure 11-10. The ordinary, less dense modification of cerium corresponds to valence about 3.2, and the new, high-density modification to valence about 4. 

Separation based on valency change.—The easy oxidation of Ce3 to Ce4+ permits its isolation from other rare earths. The separation of cerium is usually performed by selective leaching with acids, or by complete dissolution [129, 130] followed by hydrolysis. The solvent extraction behaviour of Ce(N03)4 has been extensively studied. Among the various extractants, alcohols, ethers, organic and inorganic acids, ketones etc., TBP proved to be most advantageous in large scale operations [131,132]. 

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