Scandium is element number 21, a metal with the symbol Sc. It is one of the elements that Mendeleev, who created the periodic table, predicted before it was discovered.
Atomic number 2144.96
ScScandiumスカンジウム (sukanjiumu)
Symbol
Sc
Atomic weight
44.96
Place in the table
Period 4 · Group 3
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
An element from Scandinavia
In 1879, the Swedish analytical chemist Nilson found a new element in ores from Sweden and named it scandium. The symbol Sc comes from the Latin for Scandinavia.
The predicted “eka-boron”
The Russian chemist Mendeleev published his periodic table in 1869 and left gaps for elements not yet discovered. One of them he called “eka-boron.”
Nilson did not know about the prediction, but at almost the same time a chemist named Cleve showed that scandium was exactly the eka-boron Mendeleev had predicted.
Think about it
Q1Do you think it took courage to leave gaps in the table for undiscovered elements?
Q2How do you think people felt when an element found without knowing the prediction turned out to match it?
Q3Look for elements named after countries or regions.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Mendeleev’s predicted “eka-boron,” “eka-aluminium” and “eka-silicon” were all found within 20 years: scandium, gallium and germanium.