Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
| the solid product resulting from the distillation of coal in an oven or closed chamber or by imperfect combustion, consisting principally of carbon |
| any of a number of polymers containing alternate silicon and oxygen atoms and that are fluid, resinous, rubbery, extremely stable in high temperatures, and water-repellent |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
scandium scan·di·um (skān'dē-əm)
n.
Symbol Sc
A highly reactive metallic element found in various rare minerals and separated as a byproduct in the processing of certain uranium ores. Atomic number 21; atomic weight 44.956; melting point 1,541°C; boiling point 2,830°C; specific gravity 2.99; valence 3.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
scandium  (skān'dē-əm) Pronunciation Key
Symbol Sc A soft, silvery, very lightweight metallic element that is found in various rare minerals and is a byproduct in the processing of certain uranium ores. It has a high melting point and is used to make high-intensity lights. Atomic number 21; atomic weight 44.956; melting point 1,540°C; boiling point 2,850°C; specific gravity 2.99; valence 3. See Periodic Table. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
scandium
((Sc), chemical element, rare-earth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table. Scandium is a silvery-white, rather soft metal. After Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev predicted (1871) its existence, tentatively calling it ekaboron, Lars Fredrik Nilson discovered (1879) its oxide, scandia, in the rare-earth minerals gadolinite and euxenite, and Per Teodor Cleve (later in 1879) identified scandium with the hypothetical ekaboron.
Learn more about scandium with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
