What is the Difference Between Scandium and Titanium

The key difference between scandium and titanium is that scandium is a very light metal, whereas titanium is a very strong metal.

Titanium is a metal that is known best for its strength. Some alloys of titanium can be as strong as steel. Although scandium is a strong metal, it is not as strong as titanium.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Scandium 
3. What is Titanium 
4. Scandium vs Titanium in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Scandium vs Titanium 

What is Scandium?

Scandium is a chemical element having the chemical symbol Sc and atomic number 21. It is a silvery-white metallic substance that belongs to the d block of the periodic table of elements. We can classify it as a rare-earth element. It is a solid substance at room temperature and pressure, having high melting and boiling points. Moreover, we can observe scandium in many deposits of rare-earth and uranium compounds. However, this metal is extracted from this type of mines in very few mines in the world; therefore, it has a low availability, and there are difficulties in preparing metallic scandium.

The natural occurrence of scandium can be given as primordial. It has a hexagonal close-packed crystal structure. It is a paramagnetic metal and was named after Scandinavia, where the discovery was made by Lar Fredrik Nilson in 1879.

Figure 01: Scandium Metal

Scandium feels like a soft metal having a silvery appearance. It can develop a yellowish or pinkish cast upon exposure to oxidation by air. Moreover, this metal is susceptible to weathering and can dissolve slowly in dilute acids. However, scandium does not react with a 1:1 mixture of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid. This is mainly due to the formation of an impermeable passive layer.

The major cation formed by scandium is +3 cation. This cation has closely similar properties to yttrium ions rather than aluminum ions. Therefore, we can classify this metal as a lanthanide-like chemical. The oxides and hydroxides produced by this metal are mainly amphoteric. Furthermore, it forms halides, pseudohalides, organic derivatives, and some uncommon oxidation states as well.

When considering the applications of scandium, it is mostly used for the production of scandium-aluminum alloy for minor aerospace industry component production. Moreover, the radioactive isotope of scandium (Sc-46) is useful in oil refineries as a tracing agent.

What is Titanium?

Titanium is a chemical element having the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It is a d block element, and we can categorize it as a metal. Titanium has a silvery grey-white metallic appearance. Furthermore, it is a transition metal. Titanium has high strength compared to its low density. More importantly, it is corrosion resistant upon exposure to seawater, aqua regia, and chlorine.

Figure 02: Titanium Metal

For titanium metal, the standard atomic weight is 47.86 amu. It is in group 4 and period 4 of the periodic table. The electron configuration of titanium is [Ar] 3d2 4s2. This metal exists in the solid-state at standard temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the melting point and boiling points of this metal are 1668 °C and 3287 °C, respectively. The most common and stable oxidation state of this metal is +4.

In addition to having a high strength-to-weight ratio, titanium metal is quite ductile and lustrous. Depending on its high melting point, this metal is important as a refractory material. Furthermore, titanium is paramagnetic and has low electrical and thermal conductivity. We can find titanium metal, commonly as titanium oxide, in most igneous rocks and in the sediments derived from these rocks. In addition, titanium is the ninth most abundant element on earth’s crust. Titanium metal usually occurs minerals like anatase, brookite, ilmenite, perovskite, rutile, and titanite.

What is the Difference Between Scandium and Titanium?

Titanium is a metal that is known best for its strength. Some alloys of titanium can be as strong as steel. Although scandium is a strong metal, it is not as strong as titanium. Therefore, the key difference between scandium and titanium is their strength.

The below infographic presents the differences between scandium and titanium in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Scandium vs Titanium

Scandium and titanium are important metallic substances that we can find naturally as some deposits. The key difference between scandium and titanium can be given as that scandium is a very light and less strong metal, whereas titanium is a very strong metal.

Reference:

1. “Scandium.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Scandium sublimed dendritic and 1cm3 cube” By Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de) – Own work  (FAL) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Titan-crystal bar” By Alchemist-hp (pse-mendelejew.de) – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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