Atomic Number Of Scandium

Proton Number Of Scandium
What Is Atomic Number Of Scandium

Scandium is a soft, silvery metallic element. Its atomic number is 21, making it the lightest of the transition metals. Scandium is not particularly rare - its occurrence in crustal rocks is 22 around ppm. This makes scandium generally more abundant than lead, mercury, and precious metals.
Scandium (Sc) has an atomic number of twenty-one. This member of the transition elements group is a silver-white that has been historically categorized as a rare earth element. Interesting Scandium Facts.

These are the d-block elements or first row transition elements. It starts with Scandium (Sc) with atomic number 21 followed by Titanium (Ti) atomic number 22 and then Vanadium (V) with atomic number 23 and so on.

Chemical properties of scandium - Health effects of scandium - Environmental effects of scandium

21
Atomic mass	44.9559 g.mol^-1
Electronegativity according to Pauling	unknown
Density	3.0 g.cm^-3 at 20°C
Melting point	1541 °C
Boiling point	2836 °C
Vanderwaals radius	0.161 nm
Ionic radius	0.083 nm (+3)
Isotopes	7
Electronic shell	[ Ar ] 3d¹ 4s²
Energy of first ionisation	640.5 kJ.mol^-1
Energy of second ionisation	1233 kJ.mol^-1
Energy of third ionistion	2389 kJ.mol^-1
Energy of fourth ionisation	7089 kJ.mol^-1
Discovered by	^{Lars Nilson in 1879}

Scandium

Scandium is a soft, silvery transition element which occurs in rare minerals from Scandinavia. It develops a slightly yellowish or pinkish cast when exposed to air. Scandium tarnished in air and burn easily, once it has been ignited. It reacts with water to form hydrogen gas and will dissolve in many acids. Pure scandium is produced by heating scandium fluoride (ScF₃) with calcium metal.
Applications

Scandium is one of the rare chemicals, that can be found in houses in equipment such as colour televisions, fluorescent lamps, energy-saving lamps and glasses. The use of scandium is still growing, due to the fact that it is suited to produce catalysers and to polish glass.
The main application by volume is in aluminium-scandium alloys for the aerospace industry and for sports equipment (bikes, baseball bats, etc.) which rely on high performance materials. It has been shown to reduce solidification cracking during the welding of high strength aluminium alloys.

Scandium in the environment

Scandium can rarely be found in nature, as it occurs in very small amounts. Scandium is usually found only in two different kinds of ores. Thortveitite is the primary source of scandium with uranium mill tailings by-products also being an important source. World production amount to only 50 kg per year. There is no estimate of how much is potentially available.
Scandium is only the 50th most abundant element on hearth, it is distributed widely, occurring in trace quantities in over 800 minerals. The blue color of the aquamarine variety of beryl is thought to be caused by scandium.
Only about 3% of plants that were analysed for scandium shows its presence, and even those amounts were tiny, with vegetable having only 5 ppb although grass has 70 ppb.

Health effects of scandium

Scandium has no biological role. Only trace amounts reach the food chain, so the average person's daily intake is less than 0.1 microgram.

Scadium is not toxic, although there have been suggestions that some of its compounds might be cancerogenic.

Scandium is mostly dangerous in the working environment, due to the fact that damps and gasses can be inhaled with air. This can cause lung embolisms, especially during long-term exposure. Scandium can be a threat to the liver when it accumulates in the human body.

Effects of scandium on the environment

Scandium is dumped in the environment in many different places, mainly by petrol-producing industries. It can also enter the environment when household equipment is thrown away. Scandium will gradually accumulate in soils and water soils and this will eventually lead to increasing concentrations in humans, animals and soil particles.
With water animals scandium causes damage to cell membranes, which has several negative influences on reproduction and on the functions of the nervous system.

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Scandium was discovered by Lars Fredik Nilson in 1879. It is a transition element and is widely used as aluminum-scandium alloy for minor aerospace industry.

History and Discovery

The existence of scandium was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev when he organized the elements in the periodic table. He called it ekaboron (boron like) and suggested some physical and chemical properties in 1869. Lars Fredrik Nilson and his team, in 1879 found this element in the minerals of euxenite and gadolinite. He prepared scandium oxide of high purity. The word scandium has been derived from Latin Scandia meaning Scandinavia [1]. In 1937, metallic scandium was prepared for the first time by Fischer and his colleagues through electrolysis of molten scandium, lithium and potassium chloride.

Scandium

Periodic Table Classification	Group 3 Period 4
State at 20C	Solid
Color	Silvery white
Electron Configuration	[Ar] 3d1 4s2
Electron Number	21
Proton Number	21
Electron Shell	2, 8, 9, 2
Density	2.99 g.cm-3 at 20°C
Atomic number	21
Atomic Mass	44.95 g.mol -1
Electronegativity according to Pauling	1.36

Occurrence

Scandium is the 50^th most common element in the earth crust and 35^th most abundant element in the Sun. Scandium is found in ores of tin, uranium and tungsten. 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.

Physical Characteristics

Scandium is a transition metal. It is silver-white soft metal. When exposed to air it develops a slightly yellowish or pinkish tint. It has a high melting point, but it is as light as aluminum. That means it has relatively low density, about 2.98g/cm³. Its melting point is 1541^oC and boiling point is 2836^oC. Scandium chemical symbol is Sc. Its atomic number is 21 and atomic weight is 44.95g/mol.

Chemical Characteristics

Scandium easily reacts with dilute acids. It is easily burnt and get tarnished in the presence of air. It reacts with water and form hydrogen gas. Pure form of scandium is produced by heating scandium fluoride with calcium metal. Scandium properties are similar with yttrium so it is often classified as a lanthanide like element. Its compound mostly exists in +3 oxidation state. Its oxides and hydroxide are amphoteric (ion that can react with both acid and base). Scandium halides are soluble in water except scandium fluoride which form impermeable passive layer. Organoscandium compounds have lower oxidation states like: 0, +1, +2.

Significance and Uses

It is used in houses in equipment like color television, fluorescent lamps, energy saving lamps and glasses.
It is also used to polish glass.
Aluminum-Scandium alloys are used for aerospace industry.
Scandium is used in sports equipment like bikes, baseball and bats etc.
It is also helpful in reducing solidification cracking during welding of high strength aluminum alloys.
Scandium oxide are used to make high intensity stadium light.
Scandium iodide is used in mercury vapor lamps.
Scandium-45 isotope is used in oil refineries.
Scandium sulfate in diluted form used to improve the germination of seeds like corn, peas and wheat.

Health effects

Scandium is non-toxic in nature. And is has no known biological role. Certain compounds of scandium, however are highly hazardous for individuals working in laboratory areas and industries. Long term exposure of scandium may cause lungs embolism and liver damage.

Isotopes of Scandium

Naturally scandium is found in ⁴⁵Sc isotope and it is stable. Thirteen radioactive isotopes have been identified, out of which the most stable one is ⁴⁶Sc has half-life of 83.8 days, ⁴⁷Sc has 3.35 days, ⁴⁴Sc has 4 hours and ⁴⁸Sc has 43.7 hours [3].

REFERENCES

[1]. Nilson, Lars Fredrik (1879). “Sur l’ytterbine, terre nouvelle de M. Marignac”. Comptes Rendus(in French). 88: 642–647.

[2]. Lide, David R. (2004). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 4–28

[3]. Audi, Georges; Bersillon, O.; Blachot, J.; Wapstra, A. H. (2003). “The NUBASE Evaluation of Nuclear and Decay Properties”. Nuclear Physics A. Atomic Mass Data Center. 729: 3–128.

Proton Number Of Scandium

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What Is Atomic Number Of Scandium

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