Ligands that accelerate nanoceria dissolution may greatly affect its fate and effects. This project identified carboxylic acids that contribute to nanoceria dissolution in aqueous, acidic environments. Nanoceria has commercial and potential therapeutic applications. It biotransforms in vivo. Citric acid is commonly used to stabilize nanoceria during synthesis and in aqueous dispersions. In this study, citrate-stabilized nanoceria dispersions (~ 4 nm average primary particle size) were placed in dialysis cassettes whose membranes would pass cerium salts but not nanoceria particles. The cassettes were immersed in isoosmotic baths containing carboxylic acids at pH 4.5 at 37 °C, or select agents. Cerium atom material balances were conducted for the cassette and bath by sampling of each chamber and cerium quantitation by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Samples were also collected for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observation of nanoceria size (cassette). In carboxylic acid solutions, nanoceria dissolution increased cerium concentration in the bath and decreased the nanoceria primary particle size in the cassette. In solutions of citric, malic, and lactic acid, and in the ammonium ion, ~ 15 nm nanoceria agglomerates persisted. With other carboxylic acids, nanoceria agglomerates grew to ~ 1 micron. Nanoceria particles were stable in solutions containing citrate (pH 7.4), water, or horseradish peroxidase i.e., the dissolution half-lives were very high. Extending these findings to in vivo and environmental systems, one would expect acidic environments containing carboxylic acids to degrade nanoceria by dissolution; two examples would be phagolysosomes and in the plant rhizosphere.