April 2020
Intermediate to advanced
296 pages
5h 20m
English

Gray cerium’s the lanthanoid that sparks when e’er ’tis scratched,
The mainstay of mischmetal’s mix, in flint it’s ne’er been matched.
Its nitrate helps harsh burns to treat,
Its oxide “buffs up” glass so neat . . .
. . . and also cleans your oven’s walls when baked-on food’s attached!
SECOND IN THE LANTHANOID SERIES
Cerium is a particularly reactive metal. Scratching a knife across its soft, gray surface produces a hail of bright sparks as the tiny particles of dislodged metal quickly oxidize in the air (they react so vigorously with oxygen ...