Scandium

21

Sc

44.955912(

  • Name: Scandium
  • Symbol: Sc
  • Atomic number: 21
  • Atomic weight: 44.955912(
  • CAS Registry ID: 7440-20-2
  • Group name: (none)
  • Period number: 4
  • Block: d-block
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Description

Scandium is one of the transition metals that is a silvery white solid in its natural state. It is considered to be a rare element, and when it is exposed to the air it develops a yellow or pink type color. Scandium has an atomic weight of 44.955912, a melting point of 2806 °F, and a boiling point of 5126 °F. Some common uses of scandium include: as a component in mercury-vapor lamps and high-intensity lights, in its radioactive isotope form for the use as a tracing agent in oil refineries, and as a component in metallic alloys.

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Isolation

Scandium is very rare and has never been found free in nature, and so it is isolated on a small scale for commercial purposes.

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Scandium for isolation purposes is collected from minerals such as euxenite, gadolinite, and thortveitite. Up to 40% of the mineral thortveitite is composed of scandium yttrium silicate; this is the main source for scandium that is used throughout the world. From thortveitite, pure scandium metal can be isolated by reacting scandium fluoride with the metal calcium; this is a reducing type reaction.

Another source of pure scandium is through uranium tailings that are a byproduct of uranium ore processing. Small amounts of pure scandium can also be isolated from tungsten tailings that are produced from tin smelters used to produce cast iron.

Originally, a tiny amount of scandium was isolated by heating a mixture of potassium, lithium, and scandium chlorides to approximately 1472 °F and then performing electrolysis on the heated mixture. Liquid zinc was the medium for the reaction, and tungsten wires were used as the electrodes in a crucible composed of graphite.


General
Name Scandium
Symbol Sc
Number 21
Chemical series transition metals
Group 3
Period 4
Block d
Appearance silvery white
Standard atomic weight 44.955912(6) g·mol−1
Electron configuration [Ar] 3d1 4s2
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 9, 2
Atomic properties
Crystal structure hexagonal
Oxidation states 3 (weakly basic oxide)
Electronegativity 1.36 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies 1st: 633.1 kJ·mol−1
(more) 2nd: 1235.0 kJ·mol−1
(more) 3rd: 2388.6 kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius 160 pm
Atomic radius (calc.) 184 pm
Covalent radius 144 pm
Van der Waals radius
Physical properties
Phase solid
Density (near r.t.) 2.985 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p. 2.80 g·cm−3
Melting point 1814 K (1541 °C, 2806 °F)
Boiling point 3109 K (2836 °C, 5136 °F)
Critical point
Heat of fusion 14.1 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization 332.7 kJ·mol−1
Heat capacity (25 °C) 25.52 J·mol−1·K−1
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering paramagnetic
Electrical resistivity (r.t.) (α, poly) calc. 562 nΩ·m
Thermal conductivity (300 K) 15.8 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion (r.t.) (α, poly) 10.2 µm/(m·K)
Speed of sound (thin rod)
Young's modulus 74.4 GPa
Shear modulus 29.1 GPa
Bulk modulus 56.6 GPa
Poisson ratio 0.279
Mohs hardness
Vickers hardness
Brinell hardness 750 MPa
CAS registry number 7440-20-2

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