Abstract A novel 140 Ce n + stable ion beam was developed at TRIUMF’s Off-Line Ion Source (OLIS) facility for fundamental research into (i) astrophysical processes, and (ii) forming lanthanide molecules with O 2 gas and halogens. This first creation of a multi-charged 140 Ce beam at OLIS is a successful chemical analog for actinide beams and molecule formation at TRIUMF’s TITAN facility for future electron dipole moment (EDM) measurements with rare radioactive thorium molecules.