The production of the first pound of 99% pure scandium metal was announced in 1960. Under normal environmental conditions, only the +2 oxidation state is stable enough to be important. Elemental scandium is considered non-toxic, and little animal testing of scandium compounds has been done. However, the metal is considered to be moderately toxic after testing on rats and hence, should be dealt with carefully. Although scandium is a relatively widespread element in the earth crust, until recently there has been little information on the environmental chemistry of the element. 63. Scandium is known to have reached the food chain, but in trace amounts only; a typical human takes in less than 0.1 micrograms per day. A silvery-white metallic d-block element, it has historically been classified as a rare-earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanides.It was discovered in 1879 by spectral analysis of the minerals euxenite and gadolinite from Scandinavia. 65. Scandium is a silvery metal that is soft and has a density of about three times that of water. It is 50th in order of abundance of the elements in the earth's crust. Scandium is very much a late starter compared to many of the other elements, due to its relatively low occurrence and the difficulty in obtaining it from its ores. In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. This section lists some binary compounds with halogens (known as halides), oxygen (known as oxides), hydrogen (known as hydrides), and some other compounds of scandium. These and other elements of group IIIA are hard metals that bind weakly to organic ligands and may compete for the binding sites of … Scandium chloride (ScCl 3) Scandium oxide (Sc 2 O 3) Scandium Triflate [Sc(OTf) 3] Interesting facts: It is sometimes regarded as one of the rare earth elements. Scandium Facts: 63-64 | Biological Role of Scandium. Abstract. For example, it wasn't until the 1960s when the first pound, or 450 grams, of high purity scandium was obtained. The half lethal dose (LD 50 ) levels for scandium (III) chloride for rats have been determined as 4 mg/kg for intraperitoneal, and 755 mg/kg for oral administration. Scandium is a silver-white metal which develops a slightly yellowish or pinkish cast upon exposure to air. Scandium is a chemical element with the symbol Sc and atomic number 21. Scandium and yttrium, like all other ions, complexes, or compounds, are toxic in excess. Properties. Only trace amounts reach the food chain, so the average person's daily intake is less than 0.1 microgram. Pure strontium is a hard, white-colored metal, but this form is not found in the environment. Strontium can exist in two oxidation states: 0 and +2. There are different types of Crystal structure exhibited by metals. It can be found in rare minerals like wolframite. Scadium is not toxic, although there have been suggestions that some of … Compounds of scandium find use in organic chemistry. Scandium concentrates in the liver and is a threat to it; some of its compounds are possibly carcinogenic, even through in general scandium is not toxic. Not much is known about the biological effect Scandium has on the human body. Pure scandium is now produced by reducing scandium fluoride with calcium metal. Scandium Facts: 65-66 | Cost of Scandium. For each compound, a formal oxidation number for scandium is given, but the usefulness of this number is limited for p -block elements in particular. Rather, strontium … 64. Once released into the environment, scandium … Strontium is a natural and commonly occurring element. Scandium compounds should be regarded as toxic … Scandium has no biological role.