Page 17 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Sb see Antimony Scandium (Sc)
Element 21. A soft, silvery-white metal belonging to the transition metals in the Periodic Table. It has an unusually low density and high melting point. It oxidises in air to give a pinkish colour. Scandium reacts easily with acids.
Discovery
It was discovered in Sweden in 1879 by Lars Fredrik Nilson. Scandium was one
of the first elements to be discovered, whose existence and properties had been predicted by the Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev from the then newly developed Periodic Table of the elements. He had predicted that its properties would resemble those of boron.
Technology
Scandium is recovered from the processing of uranium ores. Scandium iodide added to mercury vapour lamps provides a high intensity of light similar in colour to natural white light.This is important for TV coverage of night-time and indoor sports events.
Geology
It occurs in tiny amounts in a wide range of minerals, but only in substantial amounts in the mineral gadolinite and in ores
of tin, tungsten and uranium. The blue colour in beryl may be due to the presence of scandium.
Biology
It is not found in living things. Scandium is believed to represent a health hazard because of its potential toxicity.
Key facts...
Name: scandium
Symbol: Sc
Atomic number: 21
Atomic weight: 44.96
Position in Periodic Table: transition metal,
group (3) (scandium group); period 4 State at room temperature: solid Colour: silvery-white
Density of solid: 2.99 g/cc
Melting point: 1,541°C
Boiling point: 2,831°C
Origin of name: from the Latin word Scandia
meaning Scandinavia. Formerly called ekaboron (symbol Eb) because it had properties resembling boron
Shell pattern of electrons: 2–8–9–2
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