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

Test Your Knowledge

Loading quiz...

Learn More