scandium
Sign in to saveScandium is a chemical element; it has symbol Sc and atomic number 21. It is a silvery-white metallic element found in the d-block of the periodic table. Usually, it is classified as a rare-earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanides. It was discovered in 1879 by spectral analysis of the minerals euxenite and gadolinite from Scandinavia.
AI overview
Scandium is a silvery-white metal with the chemical symbol Sc that sits in the d-block of the periodic table and is typically classified alongside yttrium and lanthanides as a rare-earth element. Though discovered in 1879 through spectral analysis of Scandinavian minerals, the context provided does not explain its practical applications or why it matters to modern society.
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Article
20 sectionsContents
- Properties
- Chemical characteristics
- Isotopes
- Occurrence
- Production
- Compounds
- Oxides and hydroxides
- Halides and pseudohalides
- Organic derivatives
- Uncommon oxidation states
- History
- Applications
- Aluminium alloys
- Light sources
- Other
- Health and safety
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Scandium is a chemical element; it has symbol Sc and atomic number 21. It is a silvery-white metallic element found in the d-block of the periodic table. Usually, it is classified as a rare-earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanides. It was discovered in 1879 by spectral analysis of the minerals euxenite and gadolinite from Scandinavia.
Scandium is present in most of the deposits of rare-earth and uranium compounds, but it is extracted from these ores in only a few mines worldwide. Because of the low availability and difficulties in the preparation of metallic scandium, which was first done in 1937, applications for scandium were not developed until the 1970s, when the positive effects of scandium on aluminium alloys were discovered. Its use in such alloys remains its only major application. The global trade of scandium oxide is 15–20 tonnes per year.