The normal salt is not known. A weakly acid solution of a ceric salt is completely precipitated as yellow basic ceric acetate when heated to boiling with excess of an alkali acetate. An aqueous solution of cerous acetate is said to be oxidised to ceric acetate by ozone.
Basic perceric acetate is obtained as an orange-brown precipitate when hydrogen peroxide and an alkali acetate are added to a solution of a cerous salt. The precipitate thus obtained is apparently a derivative of a peroxide (Ce(OH)2.O2H) analogous to the peroxides of the other rare earth elements, since the atomic ratio of cerium to active oxygen (i.e. oxygen in excess of that required for a cerous salt) is Ce:O. The formation of basic perceric acetate may be used as a test for cerium or as a means of separating cerium from the other rare earth elements. The precipitate is converted into basic ceric acetate when dried at 120°. |