Not knowing where to start, I started at the beginning. (at least at the beginning of the pinkish elements). Scandium, it sounded like something on a SciFi movie – but reading a few more elements I realized many of them sound this way. I was very relieved in my research to find an electronic euro dance track inspired from this element – perhaps (I thought) this is the coolest element no one ever talks about.
Scandium is a silvery white metal that upon exposure to air turns a slight pinkish yellowish. It is a soft metal and it resembles yttrium (if that helps). Scandium reacts rapidly with many acids. And it is apparently more abundant in the Sun and certain stars than on earth. Scandium is rare and this is not just because few write songs about it. I read that the thermonuclear reaction that produce elements in this range of atomic numbers tend to produce much greater quantities of elements with an even atomic number
That being said, today it forms few useful compounds around us, but is primarily combined with aluminum for it’s modest uses. In the 1970’s the Soviet Union used it to make rockets strong enough to be launched under the polar ice and break free without damage – a feat, which many Americans thought was impossible. And until the end of the cold war it was only mined in the Ukraine solely for the purposes of the Soviet military.
In the mid 90’s scandium aluminum bats were produced, and latter in 1999 the worlds first scandium aluminum bike was manufactured. Today many high-end bikes contain scandium aluminum parts and frames. This is because the material is light weight, corrosion resistant and has a unique grain property that helps the frame be stiff in some areas and compliant in others. I found that it’s also used in making certain firearms. Smith & Wesson produces a few different kinds of revolvers with a composite frame of scandium alloy and a titanium cylinder.
No comments:
Post a Comment