Cerium(III) methanesulfonate is a white

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

, usually found as the

dihydrate In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...

with the formula Ce(CH₃SO₃)₃·2H₂O that precipitates from the neutralisation of cerium(III) carbonate with methanesulfonic acid, as first reported by L.B. Zinner in 1979. The crystals have a

monoclinic In crystallography, the monoclinic crystal system is one of the seven crystal systems. A crystal system is described by three vectors. In the monoclinic system, the crystal is described by vectors of unequal lengths, as in the orthorhombic s ...

polymeric structure were each methanesulfonate ion forms bonds with two cerium atoms, which present a coordination number of 8. The anhydrous salt is formed by water loss at 120 °C. Similar methanesulfonates can be prepared with other lanthanides. Cerium(III) methanesulfonate in solution is used as a precursor of electrogenerated cerium(IV), which is a strong oxidant and whose salts can be used in organic synthesis. The same principle of Ce(IV) electrogeneration is the fundamental reaction in the positive half-cell of the zinc–cerium battery.

References

{{Cerium compounds Cerium(III) compounds Oxidizing agents Sulfonates

See also

References