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Scandium is a soft, light, silvery-white metal, which becomes slightly tinged with yellow or pink when exposed to air. Scandium is almost as light (low density) as aluminum but it has a much higher melting point.
What is scandium used for?
Scandium is mainly used for research purposes. It has, however, great potential because it has almost as low a density as aluminium and a much higher melting point. An aluminium-scandium alloy has been used in Russian MIG fighter planes, high-end bicycle frames and baseball bats.
How is scandium used by humans?
Scandium is mainly used to create high-intensity lighting and mercury vapor lamps (used mainly for photography and television/movies) Scandium produces light that is very similar to natural sunlight, according to Chemicool.
Does scandium have color?
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. Scandium is paramagnetic from 0 K (−273 °C, or −460 °F) to its melting point (1,541 °C, or 2,806 °F).
Is scandium harmful to humans?
Health effects of scandium 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.
Where do you find scandium?
Source: Scandium is not found free in nature but is found combined in minute amounts in over 800 minerals. Rare minerals from Scandinavia and Madagascar (thortveitite, euxenite, and gadolinite) are the only known concentrated sources of the element.
What is scandium bike frame?
So-called “scandium” frames are aluminum alloy frames. The aluminum alloy used in their tubing has about 2% of scandium added to it to increase strength slightly. This allows a frame tube to be made slightly thinner, therefore weigh slightly less than a tube made from an aluminum alloy not containing scandium.
How much is scandium worth?
Scandium is a soft, light metal that might have applications in the aerospace industry. With a cost of $270 per gram ($122,500 per pound), scandium is too expensive for widespread use.
What is an interesting fact about scandium?
Scandium has a higher melting point than aluminum while having nearly the same density. Scandium is considered a rare-earth element because it is often found in rare-earth ores. It also shares many of the same chemical properties of other rare-earths. Scandium is the 35th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust.
What family is scandium in?
Scandium atom is a rare earth metal atom, a scandium group element atom and a d-block element atom. An element of the rare earth family of metals. It has the atomic symbol Sc, atomic number 21, and atomic weight 45.
Why is scandium Colourless?
There is one d electron present in the 3d subshell. When light falls on the Ti3+ complex, the t2g electron is excited to the eg level. There are no d electrons; hence, d–d transition is not possible. Hence, Sc3+ is colourless.
What is scandium classified?
Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. Classified as a transition metal, Scandium is a solid at room temperature.
Why is scandium salt white?
Compounds of transition metals are coloured because they absorb light for d-d transition, however in case of Sc as the d orbital is empty after formation of compound hence there is no d-d transition thus the compounds appear white.
How is yttrium toxic?
Yttrium is mostly dangerous in the working environment, due to the fact that damps and gasses can be inhaled with air. This can cause lung embolisms, especially during long-term exposure. Yttrium can also cause cancer with humans, as it enlarges the chances of lung cancer when it is inhaled.
Why is scandium so expensive?
Owing to its scarcity and limited production, scandium is one of the most expensive of all the natural elements. During the rare earth shortage of 2010, the price for scandium metal soared from a few thousand US dollars to over US$ 15,000 per kilogram.
How does scandium react with water?
Reaction of scandium with water When finely divided, or heated, scandium metal dissolves in water to form solutions containing the aquated Sc(III) ion together with hydrogen gas, H2.
Who produces scandium?
According to the US Geological Survey, scandium-producing countries include China, where it is a by-product of iron ore, rare earths, titanium and zirconium; and the Philippines, where it is a by-product of nickel. Scandium is also produced as a by-product of uranium in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
How is scandium extracted?
Extraction of scandium is mainly made by processing of different ores, tailings and residues as a by-product, from its silicate mineral, namely thortveitite, and from uranium processing as a by-product. Thanks to its superior physical and chemical properties, scandium has an important place in industry.
Is scandium an anion or cation?
List of Ions in the CCCBDB Species Name charge Sc + Scandium cation 1 Ga – Gallium atom anion -1 Ga + Gallium atom cation 1 BH – boron monohydride anion -1.
What does scandium have to do with bikes?
Scandium works by convincing aluminum molecules to restructure themselves. This is especially valuable in high-strength aluminum, like 7005 alloy. Traditionally, 7005 alloys make light, strong, forged or CNC machined bicycle components, but can’t be welded because they weaken when they melt.
Is scandium stronger than aluminum?
Scandium alloys are about 10% stronger than other aluminum alloys used for bike frames, which is a significant improvement. Scandium frames are often ultra-light high end frames, so the resulting frame may be less strong than typical aluminum frames.
How strong is scandium alloy?
Scandium delivers transformative strength without the need for problematic and costly heat treatments. Specifically, scandium additions can increase yield strength on a 5000 Series to between 300Mpa and 450Mpa, depending on the amount of addition, while maintaining elongation (ductility) figures of 12-15.
