Cerium is a Block F, Group 3, Period 6 element. The electronic configuration is [Xe]4f²6s². In its elemental form cerium's CAS number is 7440-45-1. The cerium atom has a radius of 182.5.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 181.pm. Cerium is one of the products manufactured and distributed under the tradename AE Rare Earths. Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earths metals. It is characterized chemically by having two valence states , the +3 cerous and +4 ceric states. The ceric state is the only non-trivalent rare earth ion stable in aqueous solutions. It is, therefore, strongly acidic. It is also a strong oxidizer. The cerous state closely resembles the other trivalent rare earths. The numerous commercial applications for cerium include metallurgy, glass and glass polishing, ceramics, catalysts, as the electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells when doped with yttrium, gadolinium or samarium and in phosphors. In steel manufacturing it is used to remove free oxygen and sulfur by forming stable oxysulfides and by tying up undesirable trace elements, such as lead and antimony. It is considered to be the most efficient glass polishing agent for precision optical polishing. It is also used to decolor glass by keeping iron in its ferrous state. The ability of cerium-doped glass to block out ultra violet light is utilized in the manufacturing of medical glassware and aerospace windows. It is also used to prevent polymers from darkening in sunlight and to suppress discoloration of television glass.

Selenium is a Block P, Group 16, Period 4 element. The electronic configuration is [Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁴. In its elemental form selenium's CAS number is 7782-49-2. The selenium atom has a radius of 116.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 190.pm. Selenium exhibits both photovoltaic action, where light is converted directly into electricity, and photoconductive action, where the electrical resistance decreases with increased illumination. These properties make selenium useful in the production of photocells and exposure meters for photographic use, as well as solar cells. Below its melting point, selenium is a p-type semiconductor and has many uses in electronic and solid-state applications. Selenium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.9999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. Selenium was first discovered by Jons Berzelius in 1817.

American Elements semi conducting materials are crystal structures produced from ultra high purity starting materials synthesized by our high purity production facility which includes several large electric muffle furnaces, a tube furnace for hydrogen reduction, 50 gallon glass-lined Pfaudler reactors supported by our analytical laboratory containing X-ray diffraction, SEM, AA, BET surface area, and ICP Spectrometry for trace metals analysis. See a discussion of American Elements Ultra High Purity and Analytical capabilities. See Crystal Growth for processes used to fabricate semiconductor materials, which include: