Scandium illustrates how a small addition can change an engineered material. Aluminum-scandium alloys are used where low mass and strength matter. Scandium iodide also contributes to lighting that resembles daylight. The element is dispersed across many minerals rather than concentrated in one common ore.
FROM ELEMENT TO APPLICATION
AN ELEMENT IN CONTEXT
Why can a small scandium addition matter more than a component made entirely from scandium?
Scandium added to aluminum alloys
FOLLOW THIS RELATIONSHIP
Start with aluminum
An aluminum component begins with a lightweight host metal; its intended loads and manufacturing route set requirements for the finished alloy.
Explore the model (optional)
ScFORM → INTERACTION → CONSEQUENCE
Follow the explanation in either direction. These are authored steps, not a physical clock.
Atomic identity, reference properties and structure models
INTERACTIVE 3D21 visible sites
An electron censusDrag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
[Ar] 3d1 4s2. Grouping electrons by principal shell connects the neutral-atom configuration to periodic-table patterns.
What this representation means
A three-dimensional counting diagram. Dots are count markers, not measured electron positions; spherical placement and spacing are arbitrary. There are no electron trajectories here. Orbitals describe quantum states.
Mendeleev's periodic arrangement suggested that an unknown element should occupy a gap near calcium and titanium. In 1879 Nilson separated a new while investigating complex , and spectroscopy helped identify its previously unknown element. Scandium's correspondence with a prediction strengthened confidence in periodic reasoning. Obtaining the metal itself took much longer, showing that discovery through compounds and preparation of an elemental sample are different achievements.
1879
New oxide identified
Nilson's mineral investigations revealed scandium as a distinct element.
1937
Metal prepared
Researchers obtained scandium metal through electrochemical preparation.
Scandium is distributed in small quantities across many minerals rather than concentrated in one widespread rich . Thortveitite is a notable scandium-bearing mineral. Its association with complex mineral materials means that separation from other elements is an important part of obtaining a usable scandium product.
Scandium is a relatively light, silvery metal whose surface changes on exposure to air. Its chemical resemblance to yttrium and the rare-earth metals helps explain why it appears alongside those elements in mineral investigations. Material behavior still depends on form: metal, oxide, and iodide are distinct substances.
Each section links its supporting references. Descriptions and diagrams were authored for this atlas. Source checks completed. Source checks dated 2026-09-06.
CITE THIS PAGE
Family labels and the group-3 layout are teaching conventions. A table position does not establish an unknown bulk property. Electronic configurations refer to neutral atoms; ions and material environments require their own account.
Read each reference property together with its units, conditions and the reference information below.
Not yet recorded: electron affinity, second ionization energy, ground-state term symbol, van der waals radius, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, electrical resistivity, crystal structure, lattice parameter a, space group, abundance in seawater, abundance in the universe, annual production, supply-risk listing, hazard classification, biological role, cas registry number, pubchem cid, wikidata item. These families are declared and awaiting an ingestion run against the source each names; they are listed here rather than shown as empty rows.
Physical
Intended reference: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics · CRC Press
Phase at 20 °C
solid
293.15 K, 101.325 kPa
Melting point in K
1814 K
at standard pressure unless noted
Boiling point in K
3109 K
101.325 kPa
Density in g/cm³
2.98 g/cm³
solids and liquids at 293 K; gases at 273 K and 101.325 kPa
Atomic and electronic
Intended reference: Pauling electronegativity scale · Widely tabulated; original in The Nature of the Chemical Bond
Electronegativity in Pauling
1.36 Pauling
Pauling scale
First ionization energy in kJ/mol
633.1 kJ/mol
gas-phase neutral atom, ground state
Covalent radius in pm
170 pm
single-bond covalent radius
Common oxidation states
+3
states met in ordinary compounds; not exhaustive
Occurrence and identity
Intended reference: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics · CRC Press
Abundance in the crust in mg/kg
22 mg/kg
upper continental crust, mass fraction
Has stable isotopes
Yesderived
Discovery year in CE
1879 CEderived
WHERE IT SITS AMONG ITS NEIGHBORS
Electronegativity across period 4
Sc 1.36 Pauling · Scandium
Electronegativity across period 4. Exact values.
K
0.82
Ca
1
Sc
1.36
Ti
1.54
V
1.63
Cr
1.66
Mn
1.55
Fe
1.83
Co
1.88
Ni
1.91
Cu
1.9
Zn
1.65
Ga
1.81
Ge
2.01
As
2.18
Se
2.55
Br
2.96
Kr
3
Electronegativity down group 3
Sc 1.36 Pauling · Scandium
Electronegativity down group 3. Exact values.
Sc
1.36
Y
1.22
La
1.1
Ac
1.1
The trend uses the same reference-property values as the periodic table. Elements with no recorded value are left out of the line rather than drawn at zero.
