scan⋅di⋅um
[skan-dee-uh
m] 
| a rare, trivalent, metallic element obtained from thortveitite. Symbol: Sc; atomic weight: 44.956; atomic number: 21; specific gravity: 3.0. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| scan·di·um (skān'dē-əm) n. Symbol Sc A silvery-white metallic element found in various rare minerals and separated as a byproduct in the processing of certain uranium ores. An artificially produced radioactive isotope is used as a tracer in studies of oil wells and pipelines. Atomic number 21; atomic weight 44.956; melting point 1,540°C; boiling point 2,850°C; specific gravity 2.99; valence 3. See Table at element. [From Latin Scandia, Scandinavia.] scan'dic (-dĭk) adj. |
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Scandium
Scan"di*um\, n. [NL. So called because found in Scandinavian minerals.] (Chem.) A rare metallic element of the boron group, whose existence was predicted under the provisional name ekaboron by means of the periodic law, and subsequently discovered by spectrum analysis in certain rare Scandinavian minerals (euxenite and gadolinite). It has not yet been isolated. Symbol Sc. Atomic weight 44.Cite This Source
Main Entry: scan·di·um
Pronunciation: 'skan-dE-&m
Function: noun
: a white trivalent metallic element found in association with rare earthelements —symbol Sc; —see ELEMENT table
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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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