Metallic scandium was first prepared in 1937 by Fischer, Brunger, and Grieneisen, who electrolyzed a eutectic melt of potassium, lithium, and scandium chlorides at 700 to 800 deg C. Tungsten wire and a pool of molten zinc served as the electrodes in a graphite crucible. Pure scandium is now produced by reducing scandium fluoride with calcium metal. Scandium is a silver-white metal which develops a slightly yellowish or pinkish cast upon exposure to air. It is relatively soft, and resembles yttrium and the rare-earth metals more than it resembles aluminum or titanium. It is a very light metal and has a much higher melting point than aluminum, making it of interest to designers of spacecraft.
Scandium reacts rapidly with many acids.
Nineteen isotopes and isomers of scandium are recognized.