8 Scandium Manufacturers in 2024
This section provides an overview for scandium as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 8 scandium manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked scandium companies as of April, 2024: 1.NioCorp Developments Ltd., 2.Heeger Materials Inc., 3.Hunan Oriental Scandium Co., Ltd..
Table of Contents
What Is Scandium?
Scandium is an element with the element symbol Sc and atomic number 21.
Scandium is a group 3 element, a rare earth element, and a transition element. It is a soft, silvery metal that forms a light yellow or light peach-colored passivity when oxidized in air. It is also characterized by its ability to react with halogen elements at room temperature.
Scandium is not a particularly rare element on earth. Its abundance is estimated to be 15-25 ppm, making it the 50th most abundant element. However, it is not present in concentrated amounts, but is found in small amounts in minerals.
Uses of Scandium
Scandium has not been widely applied to any element or compound state because of its high reactivity with halogen elements, as well as its high price. In recent years, however, it has been attracting attention as a new material.
The application that has attracted the most attention is its use in lighting. It has been reported that using scandium iodide (ScI3) in metal halide lamps produces more intense light. Other applications have also been found, such as adding Scandium to aluminum alloys and to the anode of nickel-alkali storage batteries to stabilize voltage and extend service life.
The main application of scandium by weight is in aluminum-scandium alloys, which are high-performance materials. In addition to some aerospace parts, it is used as a material for sporting goods such as bicycles, baseball, shooting, and lacrosse.
Properties of Scandium
Scandium has a specific gravity of 2.99, a melting point of 1,541°C, and a boiling point of 2,836°C. Scandium is gradually soluble in water and dilute acids. It dissolves readily in hot water and acids.
However, it does not react with a 1:1 mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid. This is believed to be due to the formation of a passive layer. When scandium is burned in air, it emits a yellow, glowing flame and forms scandium (III) oxide. The oxidation number of scandium is usually +3.
The crystal structure of scandium, which is stable at room temperature and pressure, is a hexagonal close-packed structure (HCP, α-Sc). Upon heating, there are two additional forms (β, δ). The crystal structures are cubic close-packed and face-centered cubic lattice, respectively.
Other Information on Scandium
1. Name of Scandium
The Swedish analyst Lars Fredrik Nilson named scandium from the Latin word Scandia, meaning Scandinavia.
Other known sources of Scandium include Thortveitite, Euxenite, and Gadolinite, which are rare ores produced on the Scandinavian Peninsula and Madagascar. Thortveitite, for example, contains up to 45% scandium as scandium oxide.
2. Formation of Scandium
Electrolysis of an eutectic mixture of potassium, lithium, and scandium chloride at 700-800°C produces the metal scandium.
3. Isotopes of Scandium
There is only one naturally occurring isotope of scandium, 45Sc. There are 13 known radioactive isotopes of scandium. The most stable of these, 46Sc, has a half-life of 83.8 days.
47Sc has a half-life of 3.35 days, 48Sc has a half-life of 43.7 hours, and all the rest have half-lives of less than 4 hours, many of them less than 2 minutes. In addition, scandium has more than 100 nuclear isomers. The mass number of isotopes of Scandium takes between 40 and 54.
Isotopes with a mass number below 45 decay by electron capture and the product is calcium. On the other hand, isotopes with a mass number greater than 45 decay, mainly by beta decay, and the decay product is titanium. Stable isotopes of scandium are synthesized by the r-process during supernova explosions.
List of 8 Scandium Manufacturers
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
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- Company Size: largest first
- Year Founded: oldest first
- Year Founded: earliest first
Sort by Area
- United States of America
- China
- India
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Stanford Advanced Materials
Scandium
Manufacturer Overview
Stanford Advanced Materials was established in 1994 in Lake Forest, California to provide rare-earth products for research and development purposes. Stanford Advanced Materials serves many industries ranging from automotive to fashion to energy to research to sports to textiles. Stanford Advanced Materials manufactures and distributes purified metals, ceramics, composite materials including strips, plates, rods, wires, and bars, as well as laboratory equipment and optical equipment including crystals, lenses, splitters, and windows.
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American Elements
Scandium
Manufacturer Overview
American Elements was founded in 1997 in California and currently has research and production facilities in Utah, Mexico, China, and the United Kingdom. AE manufactures and distributes advanced materials from a catalog of over 30,000 products for bulk industrial use as well as small scale laboratory use. AE also provides testing and analyses services including spectroscopy along with structural, thermal, and electrical analyses. AE holds sustainable development as a core corporate value and is committed to work to protect the health of the environment.
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Heeger Materials Inc.
Scandium
Company Overview
Heeger Materials Inc. is a manufacturer, distributor, and supplier of premium-grade metals, alloys, ceramics, powders, and other materials catering to research, development, and large-scale industrial production in the scientific and industrial sectors. Their product range includes high-purity deposition materials like sputtering targets and evaporation materials, refractory metals with high-temperature properties, rare earth materials used in applications like magnets and catalysts, high-purity materials, and technology ceramics for various applications such as capacitors, sensors, and actuators.
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Central Drug House
Scandium
Company Overview
Founded in 1981, Central Drug House Ltd. serves the scientific community via manufacturing and marketing a library of over 9,000 products to laboratory fine chemicals and dehydrated culture media with emphasis on purity and service. Examples are acids & bases, adsorbents, disinfectants, indicator papers, oils, and solvents. CDH provides bio chemicals, research chemicals, laboratory reagents, various solvents, stains & indicators, and dehydrated culture media. CDH is ISO 9001 certified and CDHs’ products are in compliance with specifications of IP, BP, USP, and EP standards.
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Otto Chemie Pvt. Ltd
Scandium
Distributor Overview
Founded in Mumbai, India in 2006, Otto Chemie Pvt. Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2015 & GMP certified chemical manufacturing company and distributor. Otto Chemie serves customers in many industries including agriculture and food processing, pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, cement, as well as educational and R&D industries. Product offerings include antibiotics, amino acids, vitamins, detergents, ionic liquids, materials science compounds, labware, oil, metal & ceramic science compounds and tools, oils, reagents, solvents.
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Rio Tinto
Scandium
Distributor Overview
Rio Tinto, a mining corporation established in 1873 and located in London, United Kingdom is a supplier specializing in metals and minerals. The company’s range of metals and minerals includes iron ore, copper, diamonds aluminium, borates, and scandium, among others. It serves and supports industries related to renewable energy, transportation, electronics, infrastructure and manufacturing. The company collaborates with 20,000 suppliers globally to serve clients in Europe, North America, Asia and beyond.
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Scandium Manufacturer Ranking
*Including some distributors, etc.Ranking as of April 2024
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NioCorp Developments Ltd. |
31.8%
|
| 2 | Heeger Materials Inc. |
18.2%
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| 3 | Hunan Oriental Scandium Co., Ltd. |
13.6%
|
| 4 | Stanford Advanced Materials |
13.6%
|
| 5 | Central Drug House |
9.1%
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| 6 | Rio Tinto |
4.5%
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| 7 | American Elements |
4.5%
|
| 8 | Otto Chemie Pvt. Ltd |
4.5%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the scandium page as of April 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
- Rio Tinto: 52,055
Newly Established Company
- Heeger Materials Inc.: 2016 (8 years ago)
- Hunan Oriental Scandium Co., Ltd.: 2011 (13 years ago)
- Rio Tinto: 1873 (151 years ago)
Company with a History
- Rio Tinto: 1873 (151 years ago)
- Hunan Oriental Scandium Co., Ltd.: 2011 (13 years ago)
- Heeger Materials Inc.: 2016 (8 years ago)
Scandium Manufacturers in United States
*Including some distributors, etc.
Global Distribution of Scandium Manufacturers by Country
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
United States of America
|
4 | 57.1% |
India
|
2 | 28.6% |
China
|
1 | 14.3% |
