Lanthanide 4f-electron binding energies and the nephelauxetic effect in wide band gap compounds

► A relationship between 5d centroid shift and 4f-electron Coulomb repulsion energy is established. ► Information on the absolute 4f-electron binding energy of lanthanides in 40 compounds is provided. ► A new tool to determine absolute binding energies of electrons in valence and conduction bands is demonstrated.