Discovery date : 1879
Discovered by: Lars Frederik Nilson
Origin of the name:The name derives from 'Scandia', the Latin name for Scandinavia.
Allotropes :
~>SCANDIUM is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic d-block element, it has historically been classified as a rare earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanides.
| FACT BOX | |||
| Group | 3 | Melting point | 1541°C, 2806°F, 1814 K |
| Period | 4 | Boiling point | 2836°C, 5137°F, 3109 K |
| Block | d | Density (g cm−3) | 2.99 |
| Atomic number | 21 | Relative atomic mass | 44.956 |
| State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes | 45 Sc |
| Electron configuration | [Ar] 3d14s2 | CAS number | 7440-20-2 |
| ChemSpider ID | 22392 | ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database | |
In 1869, Mendeleev noticed that there was a gap in atomic weights between calcium (40) and titanium (48) and predicted there was an undiscovered element of intermediate atomic weight. He forecast that its oxide would be X2O3. It was discovered as scandium in 1879, by Lars Frederik Nilson of the University of Uppsala, Sweden. He extracted it from euxenite, a complex mineral containing eight metal oxides. He had already extracted erbium oxide from euxenite, and from this oxide he obtained ytterbium oxide and then another oxide of a lighter element whose atomic spectrum showed it to be an unknown metal. This was the metal that Mendeleev had predicted and its oxide was Sc2O3.
Scandium metal itself was only produced in 1937 by the electrolysis of molten scandium chloride.