Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic d-block element, it has historically been sometimes classified as a rare earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanoids. It was discovered in 1879 by spectral analysis of the minerals euxenite and gadolinite from Scandinavia.
Three reasons Scandium stands out
- 1
Used in aerospace and sporting goods.
- 2
Its existence was predicted by Mendeleev before it was ever discovered, as a missing gap in his periodic table.
- 3
Adding it to mercury-vapour lamps produces artificial light that closely mimics natural sunlight.
A scarce metal with a quiet supporting role
Scandium is dispersed so thinly through minerals that concentrated ores are unusual. Small additions can make aluminum alloys stronger and easier to weld, useful where low mass matters. Scandium iodide in metal-halide lamps also helps produce light resembling natural daylight.