Abstract
Materials containing the 4f (rare earth) or 5f (actinides) exhibit a large variety of interesting physical properties. The Ce-based compounds have a special place among the rare-earth compounds.
The Ce atom contains only a single f-electron that is responsible for the magnetic behavior.The 4f states in compounds with the heavy rare earths have a well localized character, whereas many Ce-based compounds are on the borderline between the localized and itinerant behavior.