Scandium (Sc) Powder

Scandium powder is widely used in a variety of applications. Its atomic number is 21 and its atomic weight is 44,956. It is the twenty-first element of the periodic table and the first element of the transition group in the first long period, it has 40 Sc and 51 Sc isotopes, it also has an intermediate value isotope known as 45 Sc, all these isotopes are obtained as a consequence of nuclear reactions. Scandium was discovered in 1879 by Lars Fredrik Nilson while conducting rare earth studies. It is a white metal with silver tones, when in contact with the air it favors the formation of a white nitride layer and when reacting with the water it burns generating a flame of yellow and red tones. Scandium powder is frequently used as a catalyst in the conversion of acetic acid to acetone, in its oxide form, and some other scandium compounds. Another of its uses is to improve the germination of vegetable seeds.