A ceramic electronic device includes a multilayer body in which each of a plurality of dielectric layers and each of a plurality of internal electrode layers are alternately stacked. In at least a part of a cover layer and side margins, a concentration of a specific metal of at least one of Ag, As, Au, Bi, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ge, In, Ir, Mo, Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Se, Sn, Te, W or Zn is lower on an outer side than on a side of the multilayer body.

The multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body including a dielectric layer; and first and second internal electrodes disposed inside the ceramic body, and disposed to oppose each other with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween. When an average thickness of the dielectric layer is referred to as td and a standard deviation of a thickness of the dielectric layer in each position is referred to as σtd, while an average thickness of the first and second internal electrodes is referred to as to and a standard deviation of a thickness of a pre-determined region of any layer of the internal electrodes in each position is referred to as σte, a ratio (σte/σtd) of the standard deviation of the internal electrodes in each position to the standard deviation of the thickness of the dielectric layer in each position satisfies 1.10≤σte/σtd≤1.35.

A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a multilayer body and external electrodes provided on opposing end surfaces of the multilayer body. Each external electrode includes an underlying electrode layer including metal components and ceramic components, and plating layers on the underlying electrode layer. A metal of the plating layer on the underlying electrode layer diffuses into the underlying electrode layer to extend from a surface layer of the underlying electrode layer to an interface of the multilayer body, and exists at an interface where the metal components included in the underlying electrode layer are in contact with each other, an interface where the metal component and the ceramic component included in the underlying electrode layer are in contact with each other, and an interface between the metal component included in the underlying electrode layer and the multilayer body.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a multilayer body, a first internal electrode layer extending to opposing end surfaces of the multilayer body, a second internal electrode layer extending to opposing side surfaces of the multilayer body, first and second external electrodes connected to the first internal electrode layer and provided on the opposing end surfaces, and third and fourth external electrodes connected to the second internal electrode layer and provided on the opposing side surfaces. The second internal electrode layer includes a central section in a central portion of the dielectric layer and an extending section extending to the opposing side surfaces. The first internal electrode layer is larger in number than the second internal electrode layer, at least two first internal electrode layers are successively layered, and the extending section is larger in thickness than the central section located in the central portion of the dielectric layer.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a second alloy portion including one metal element provided in a greatest amount among metal elements of an internal electrode layer, and one or more metal elements among a metal group including Sn, In, Ga, Zn, Bi, Pb, Cu, Ag, Pd, Pt, Ph, Ir, Ru, Os, Fe, V, and Y is provided between a second dielectric ceramic layer and a first internal electrode layer, and between a second dielectric ceramic layer and a second internal electrode layer, respectively.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a multilayer body including dielectric layers and first and second inner electrodes that are laminated, and first and second outer electrodes. Each of the first inner electrodes includes a first opposing electrode portion and a first extending electrode portion. The first extending electrode portions at least positioned in a vicinity of the first and second principal surfaces in a lamination direction among the first inner electrodes include a first bent portion bent inward and a second bent portion bent outward in the lamination direction. A distance between vertices of the first and second bent portions in the lamination direction in the first inner electrodes positioned in the vicinity of the first and second principal surface in a lamination direction is larger than a distance in the first inner electrodes positioned in a central portion in the lamination direction.

A capacitor component includes a body including a dielectric layer and internal electrode layers, with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween; and an external electrode disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrode layers. Each of the internal electrode layers has a capacitance formation portion disposed to overlap an adjacent internal electrode layer, and a lead-out portion extending from the capacitance formation portion and connected to the external electrode. A ratio (H2/H1) of a height difference H2 to a height difference H1 is 0.2 or less, where the height difference H2 is a height difference between the capacitance formation portion and the lead-out portion of a lowermost internal electrode layer the height difference H1 is a height difference between the capacitance formation portion and the lead-out portion of an uppermost internal electrode layer. An average thickness of the dielectric layer is 420 nm or less.

To provide a metal particle composition having excellent oxidation resistance, which does not require a transition metal catalyst and can be applied to existing metal particles, a method for producing the metal particle composition, and a paste. The metal particle composition contains, with respect to 100 parts by mass of metal particles, 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of a compound (A) having a structure represented by the following general formula (I):

##STR00001## in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group, or an aralkyl group, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group, an alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkenyloxy group, an aryl group, or an aralkyl group.

A capacitor component includes a body including a first surface and a second surface opposing each other in a first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the first and second surfaces and opposing each other in a second direction, a fifth surface and a sixth surface connected to the first to fourth surfaces and opposing each other in a third direction, and including a first dielectric layer, and a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode disposed to oppose each other in the first direction with the first dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and a first side margin portion and a second side margin portion, respectively including a second dielectric layer, a first margin electrode, and a second margin electrode, disposed in parallel with the fifth and sixth surfaces of the body, and respectively disposed on the fifth and sixth surfaces of the body.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a laminate and an external electrode. The laminate includes a central layer portion in which first and second internal electrode layers are alternately laminated with a dielectric ceramic layer therebetween, a peripheral layer portion sandwiching the central layer portion in a lamination direction, and a side margin sandwiching the central layer portion and the peripheral layer portion in a width direction. When viewing the laminate and the first external electrode through a cross-section parallel to the width direction and the lamination direction at a central portion in a length direction of the first external electrode, W.sub.1>R.sub.1 is satisfied and T.sub.1>R.sub.1 is satisfied.