Scandium

Name:
Scandium
Detailed information:

M Formula:	Sc
Properties:
Silvery-white solid. Mp 1539C, bp 2727C, d 2.99. Does not tarnish in air, reacts rapidly with acids, strongly electropositive. Not attacked by 1:1 mixture of nitric and 48% hydrofluoric acids. It is chemically similar to the rare earths.
Source:
Chief ores are wolframite and thortveitite (Norway, Madagascar).
Derivation:
Reduction of scandium fluoride with calcium or with zinc or magnesium alloy. Purification by distillation gives purity of 99+%.
Use:
No major industrial use. An artificial radioactive isotope has been used in tracer studies and leak detection, and there is some application in the semiconductor field.