What are 3 interesting facts about scandium?
Fun Scandium Facts
- Scandium is a silvery-white relatively light and soft metal at room temperature.
- Scandium is used in alloys much like aluminum.
- Scandium is considered a rare-earth element because it is often found in rare-earth ores.
- Scandium is the 35th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust.
What is the history of scandium?
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.
What is the Colour of scandium?
Scandium is a silvery white, moderately soft metal. It is fairly stable in air but will slowly change its colour from silvery white to a yellowish appearance because of formation of Sc2O3 oxide on the surface.
When was scandium first used?
1937
Metallic scandium was first produced in 1937 and the first pound (0.45 kilograms) of pure scandium was produced in 1960. Scandium is a soft, light metal that might have applications in the aerospace industry. With a cost of $270 per gram ($122,500 per pound), scandium is too expensive for widespread use.
Is ytterbium harmful to humans?
All compounds of ytterbium are treated as highly toxic, although studies appear to indicate that the danger is minimal. However, ytterbium compounds cause irritation to human skin and eyes, and some might be teratogenic. Metallic ytterbium dust can spontaneously combust, and the resulting fumes are hazardous.
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What do you need to know about scandium?
Scandium is a transition metal element. Know everything about Scandium Facts, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Electronic configuration, Atomic and Crystal Structure. Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21.
Why is scandium considered a rare earth element?
Scandium is a transition metal and is also considered a rare earth element due to similar chemical properties (such as difficulty in extracting and in separating from other elements) and existence in the same ores, according to Chemicool.
Where can I find scandium oxide in the world?
Thortveitite (Scandium silicate) contain 45% scandium in the form of scandium oxide but it is very rare in nature. Scandium is mostly produced as a by-product during the extraction of uranium through mineral davidite which contain around 0.02% scandium oxide. It is mainly mined in China, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Norway and Russia.
Why is scandium more abundant on the Moon than on Earth?
Scandium oxidizes when exposed to air and its color will be tinged with yellow or pink due to the formation of scandium oxide on the surface, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Scandium is more abundant on the moon (according to ScandiumFacts) and the sun (according to Los Alamos National Laboratory) than on Earth.