Is Cerium a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?
Cerium (Ce) is a metal (a lanthanide) — a lanthanide — a silvery, reactive f-block metal of period 6. It sits in the f-block, period 6, and is a solid at room temperature.
This is the fast lane: one page, one fact, zero digressions. Read the quick answer, check the table, and if your exam needs the full derivation, the sections below walk through it step by step — in Bangla and English, like every page here. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Cerium page is one click away.
The one-line answer, with reasons
Cerium is a metal (a lanthanide). Chemists decide by behaviour, not appearance: metals (like Cerium) give up electrons, shine when freshly cut, and conduct heat and electricity; nonmetals take or share electrons and (as solids) break rather than bend. Cerium checks every metal box — placed in the lanthanide family of the table.
Cerium's metal/nonmetal report card
| Property | Value | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Lanthanide | — |
| Phase at room temp | solid | metals are usually solid |
| Block | f-block | — |
| Group | f-block | — |
| Period | 6 | — |
The family it belongs to
The whole lanthanide family shares one seating area of the table, and every member's family ID card is one click away — compare Cerium with its upstairs or downstairs neighbour and the family pattern jumps out.
Students also ask
Is Cerium a good conductor of electricity?
Yes — like other metals, Cerium conducts electricity and heat well, thanks to its sea of free electrons.
Can a gas be a metal — like Cerium?
Yes — being a metal or nonmetal is about bonding and electron behaviour, not state. At room temperature Cerium is a solid, and that says nothing against its metallic character.