Ammonium cerium(IV) nitrate
Overview
 
Ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) is the inorganic compound
Inorganic compound
Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...

 with the formula (NH4
Ammonium
The ammonium cation is a positively charged polyatomic cation with the chemical formula NH. It is formed by the protonation of ammonia...

)2Ce(NO3)6. This orange-red, water-soluble cerium
Cerium
Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58. It is a soft, silvery, ductile metal which easily oxidizes in air. Cerium was named after the dwarf planet . Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements, making up about 0.0046% of the Earth's crust by weight...

 salt is widely used as an oxidising agent
Redox
Redox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....

 in organic synthesis
Organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the construction of organic compounds via organic reactions. Organic molecules can often contain a higher level of complexity compared to purely inorganic compounds, so the synthesis of organic compounds has...

 and as a standard oxidant in quantitative analysis.
The anion is generated by dissolving
Cerium(III) oxide
Cerium oxide is an oxide of the rare earth metal cerium. It has chemical formula Ce2O3, and is gold-yellow in color.-Exhaust catalysts:...

 in hot concentrated HNO3
Nitric acid
Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid.Colorless when pure, older samples tend to acquire a yellow cast due to the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen. If the solution contains more than 86% nitric acid, it is referred to as fuming...

.

This salt consists of the anion and a pair of NH4+ counter ions.
 
x
OK