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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.
Where is scandium commonly found in nature?
However, scandium is distributed sparsely and occurs in trace amounts in many minerals. Rare minerals from Scandinavia and Madagascar such as thortveitite, euxenite, and gadolinite are the only known concentrated sources of this element. Thortveitite can contain up to 45% of scandium in the form of scandium oxide.
Is scandium rare or common?
Scandium and yttrium are considered rare earth elements since they tend to occur in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties. While named rare earths, they are in fact not that rare and are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust.
What compounds is scandium found in?
It is generally only found in small amounts in minerals. There are only a few minerals that have a reasonable concentration of scandium including gadolinite, thortveitite, and euxenite. Scandium is generally a byproduct of mining minerals for other elements such as fluorine and tantalum.
When was scandium found?
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.
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.
Where is titanium found?
It is found in the minerals rutile (TiO2), ilmenite (FeTiO3), and sphene, and is present in titanates and in many iron ores. Deosits are located in North America, Australia, Scandinavia, and Malaysia. Titanium is present in meteorites and has been detected in the sun.
How much does scandium cost?
Scandium is a soft, light metal that might have applications in the aerospace industry. With a cost of $270 per gram ($122,500 per pound), scandium is too expensive for widespread use.
Is scandium used in phones?
The rare-earth metals include scandium and yttrium, as well as elements 57–71. Rare-earth metals are not only used in smart- phones but in many other high-tech devices, too. They are found in televisions, computers, lasers, missiles, camera lenses, fluorescent light bulbs, and catalytic convertors.
Why is scandium so expensive?
Owing to its scarcity and limited production, scandium is one of the most expensive of all the natural elements. During the rare earth shortage of 2010, the price for scandium metal soared from a few thousand US dollars to over US$ 15,000 per kilogram.
How is scandium obtained?
Scandium can be obtained from the minerals thortveitite ((Sc, Y)2Si2O7), bazzite (Be3(Sc, Al)2Si6O18) and wiikite, but is usually obtained as a byproduct of refining uranium. Metallic scandium was first produced in 1937 and the first pound (0.45 kilograms) of pure scandium was produced in 1960.
How many shells does scandium have?
Illustration of the atomic structure and electron configuration of the element scandium. An atom of this element has 21 electrons (black dots) in four shells around the nucleus.
How many isotopes does scandium have?
Scandium has 13 types of isotopes but the naturally occurring Scandium has one stable isotope. Cesium (Cs) has the maximum number of isotopes.
What is germanium found in?
1886.
Where is technetium found?
Technetium was discovered by Emilio Segrè in 1937 in Italy. He investigated molybdenum from California which had been exposed to high energy radiation and he found technetium to be present and separated it. Today, this element is extracted from spent nuclear fuel rods in tonne quantities.
How do u find neutrons?
The atomic mass equals the number of protons plus the number of neutrons, so you find the number of neutrons by subtracting the number of protons (i.e. the atomic number) from the atomic mass (in atomic mass units).
Which country is the largest producer of scandium?
Scandium was recovered from titanium, zirconium, cobalt, and nickel process streams. China, the Philippines, and Russia were the leading producers.
What is scandium used for in the world?
Scandium is used in aluminum-scandium alloys for aerospace industry components and for sports equipment such as bicycle frames, fishing rods, golf iron shafts and baseball bats. Scandium iodide is used in mercury vapor lamps, which are used to replicate sunlight in studios for the film and television industry.
What is scandium oxide used for?
Typical Applications Scandium oxide is used in high-temperature systems (for its resistance to heat and thermal shock), electronic ceramics, and glass composition (as a helper material).
Where can you find cobalt on earth?
Cobalt is found in the minerals cobaltite, skutterudite and erythrite. Important ore deposits are found in DR Congo, Canada, Australia, Zambia and Brazil. Most cobalt is formed as a by-product of nickel refining.
Is Titanium easy to find?
As the ninth-most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, titanium is relatively rare. Research shows the strong and lightweight metal only accounts for roughly 0.63% of the Earth’s crust. With such little titanium available, it costs more to harvest and produce than other metals.
Is titanium a rare earth metal?
Despite their name, rare-earth elements are relatively plentiful in Earth’s crust, with cerium being the 25th most abundant element at 68 parts per million, more abundant than copper.Rare-earth element. Hydrogen Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium.
Is scandium a precious metal?
Scandium is perhaps the closest we come to a precious metal outside of proper precious metals. Despite being a useful metal with many desirable characteristics (lightweight yet high strength, resistance to corrosion, non-toxic, etc.) its rarity dooms its potential to all but very specific applications.
Is scandium stronger than titanium?
The only difference is titanium is stronger than scandium and only a little bit heavier than scandium. So what makes titanium better? It is stronger, and decently light, but kinda costly.
Where is tungsten found?
Tungsten occurs principally in the minerals scheelite, wolframite, huebnerite, and ferberite. In the United States these minerals occur most notably in California and Colorado. Elsewhere they are found in China, the Buryat republic of Russia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Bolivia, and Portugal.
Where do you find rare earth minerals?
Rare-earth ore deposits are found all over the world. The major ores are in China, the United States, Australia, and Russia, while other viable ore bodies are found in Canada, India, South Africa, and southeast Asia.
Where is neodymium found?
Neodymium is the second most abundant of the rare-earth elements (after cerium) an is almost as abundant as copper. It is found in minerals that include all lanthanide minerals, such as monazite and bastnasite. The main areas are Brazil, China, USA, India, Sri Lanka and Australia.
