Periodic Table

Scandium

Transition Metal

Quick Facts about Scandium

Ca
  • solid- state of matter at room temperature
  • Stable- has at least one stable isotope
  • +3- common oxidation states in compounds
  • HEX- crystal structure, atomic arrangement in solid form
Ti

Scandium (Sc) is element 21 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Sc: 44.9560 u. Sc is in period 4, group 3. Melting point of Sc: 1814.00 K.Density of Sc: 2.98 g/cm³.

Why Scandium Matters

Scandium in everyday life and industry

In Your Home

  • Metal halide stadium lights contain scandium for better color rendering

Industry Uses

MetallurgyAluminum-scandium alloys are used in high-performance bicycle frames
Aerospace componentsAerospace components use scandium alloys for strength without weight
MetallurgyBaseball bats and lacrosse sticks sometimes use scandium-aluminum alloys

In Your Body

✗ Not essential

Scandium has no known biological role. Very little scandium enters the human body from food or water.

Safety: The element is generally considered non-toxic Some scandium compounds may have mild toxicity

Discovery of Scandium

Discovered by Lars Nilson in Sweden, 1879

Name origin: Latin: Scandia, Scandinavia.

History & Events

1879
Named after Scandinavia where it was discovered
1879
Predicted by Mendeleev as 'eka-boron' before discovery
1879
Discovered by Lars Nilson in 1879 in Scandinavia
1879
One of the most expensive metals per kilogram

About Scandium

Rare soft silvery metallic element belonging to group 3 of the periodic table. Only one stable isotope (⁠45Sc) exists naturally. Predicted in 1869 by Mendeleev, isolated by Nilson in 1879.

Atomic Properties of Sc

Atomic Number of Sc
21
Atomic Mass of Sc
44.9560 u
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d1 4s2
Electronegativity
1.36
Block
d-block
Group
3
Period
4

Physical Properties of Sc

Phase (STP)
solid
Melting Point of Sc
1814.00 K
Boiling Point of Sc
3109.00 K
Density of Sc
2.9850 g/cm3

Thermal Properties

Heat of Fusion
15.80 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization
332.70 kJ/mol
Specific Heat
0.57 J/g·K
Molar Heat Capacity
25.52 J/mol·K
Thermal Conductivity
15.80 W/m·K

Atomic Radii

Calculated
160 pm
Covalent
148 pm
Van der Waals
215 pm
Metallic
144 pm

Common Misconceptions

Wrong:Scandium is truly rare.
Correct:It's as abundant as cobalt but very dispersed
Wrong:Scandium is a rare earth element technically.
Correct:Scandium isn't a rare earth element technically, though often grouped with them
Wrong:The high price is due to rarity but difficulty of extraction.
Correct:The high price isn't due to rarity but difficulty of extraction

Isotopes of Scandium

Scandium has 1 naturally occurring isotope, plus 1 notable radioactive isotope.

IsotopeAtomic Mass (u)AbundanceHalf-LifeDecay Mode
4521Sc (Sc-45)Scandium-45 isotope44.95590828100.00%——
4621Sc (Sc-46)Scandium-46 isotope45.95517190%83.79 daysβ⁻

Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)

Isotope Applications

Isotopes of Scandium have important real-world applications in science and industry.

Industrial Applications

⁠46Sc is a beta emitter and has been used as a tracer in oil refinery crackers for crude oil (converting crude oil into gasoline and other lower-molecular weight hydrocarbon fractions). Its beta radiation enables the substance to be tracked as the oil travels [194]. Due to its easily traceable properties, coastal engineers use ⁠46Sc to develop dredging strategies and to design navigation channels based on silt movement [192].

Medical Applications

⁠46Sc is used in isotope-carrying antibodies for bonding with tumor-associated cell surface antigens (substances that causes the production of an antibody when introduced into the body, e.g. toxins, bacteria, and viruses). ⁠46Sc is added to DTPA-derivatized (process by which a compound is chemically changed, producing a new compound that has properties more amenable to a particular analytical method) monoclonal antibodies and has been shown to target tumor cells, specifically in vivo, where it accumulates to high levels in the tumor (Fig. IUPAC.21.1) [195], [196].

Abundance

Earth's Crust
22.0 mg/kg
Seawater
6.00×10-7 mg/L

Uses

Scandium metal is used in some aerospace applications. Scandium oxide (Sc2O3) is used in the manufacture of high-intensity electric lamps. Scandium iodide (ScI3) is used in lamps that produce light having a color closely matching natural sunlight.

Sources

Occurs mainly in the minerals thortveitile (~34% scandium) and wiikite. Also in some tin and tungsten ores. Pure scandium is obtained as a by-product of uranium refining.

Geochemistry

Goldschmidt
litophile
Geochemical Class
first series transition metal

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