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Who Discovered Scandium

Scandium, which has the the chemical symbol Sc, is a silvery-white metal. It is a very rare metal and has very limited availability. But who discovered scandium? This post will answer that very question and then tell you a few interesting things about scandium.

Who discovered scandium?

Scandium was discovered in the minerals euxenite and gadolinite in Scandinavia. Lars Fredrik Nilson was the discoverer. He discovered scandium in 1879. The name scandium came from the place it was discovered- Scandinavia. Lars Fredrik Nilson created 2 grams of high purity scandium oxide. The actual metal was not produced until 1937 using electrolysis.

Interesting facts about scandium

  • Only about 10kg of metallic scandium are produced every year.
  • There is only one stable isotope of scandium: Sc-45.
  • Scandium is created when stars go supernova.
  • At room temperature, scandium is a solid metal.
  • Scandium is more abundant in stars and the Sun than on the earth.
  • When exposed to air, scandium turns slightly yellow or pink.
  • Near pure scandium (99% pure) was not produced until 1960.
  • Metal scandium is not considered toxic and is safe to handle. However, it is probably not a great idea to eat it!
  • Rare minerals from Scandinavia and Madagascar are the only known concentrated sources of scandium.

Related Topics

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Who discovered oxygen

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