Naturally occurring scandium (Sc) is composed of one stable isotope 45Sc. Twenty-four radioisotopes have been characterized with the most stable being 46Sc with a half-life of 83.8 days, 47Sc with a half-life of 3.35 days, and 48Sc with a half-life of 43.7 hours. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than four hours, and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than two minutes, the least stable being 39Sc with a half-life shorter than 300 nanoseconds. The half-lives for isotopes with mass numbers less than 39 is unknown. This element also has 10 meta states with the most stable being 44mSc (t½ 58.6 h).
The isotopes of scandium range in atomic weight from 36 u (36Sc) to 60 u (60Sc). The primary decay mode at masses lower than the only stable isotope, 45Sc, is Beta-plus or electron capture, and the primary mode at masses above it is beta-minus. The primary decay products at atomic weights below 45Sc are calcium isotopes and the primary products from higher atomic weights are titanium isotopes.
Standard atomic mass: 44.955912(6) u
nuclide symbol |
Z(p) | N(n) | isotopic mass (u) |
half-life | decay mode(s)[1][n 1] |
daughter isotope(s)[n 2] |
nuclear spin |
representative isotopic composition (mole fraction) |
range of natural variation (mole fraction) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
excitation energy | |||||||||
36Sc | 21 | 15 | 36.01492(54)# | p | 35Ca | ||||
37Sc | 21 | 16 | 37.00305(32)# | p | 36Ca | 7/2-# | |||
38Sc | 21 | 17 | 37.99470(32)# | <300 ns | p | 37Ca | (2-)# | ||
38mSc | p | 37Ca | |||||||
39Sc | 21 | 18 | 38.984790(26) | <300 ns | p | 38Ca | (7/2-)# | ||
40Sc | 21 | 19 | 39.977967(3) | 182.3(7) ms | β+ (99.54%) | 40Ca | 4- | ||
β+, p (.44%) | 39K | ||||||||
β+, α (.017%) | 36Ar | ||||||||
41Sc | 21 | 20 | 40.96925113(24) | 596.3(17) ms | β+ | 41Ca | 7/2- | ||
42Sc | 21 | 21 | 41.96551643(29) | 681.3(7) ms | β+ | 42Ca | 0+ | ||
42mSc | 616.28(6) keV | 61.7(4) s | β+ | 42Ca | (7,5,6)+ | ||||
43Sc | 21 | 22 | 42.9611507(20) | 3.891(12) h | β+ | 43Ca | 7/2- | ||
43m1Sc | 151.4(2) keV | 438(7) µs | 3/2+ | ||||||
43m2Sc | 3123.2(3) keV | 470(4) ns | (19/2)- | ||||||
44Sc | 21 | 23 | 43.9594028(19) | 3.97(4) h | β+ | 44Ca | 2+ | ||
44m1Sc | 67.8680(14) keV | 154.2(8) ns | 1- | ||||||
44m2Sc | 270.95(20) keV | 58.61(10) h | IT (98.8%) | 44Sc | 6+ | ||||
β+ (1.2%) | 44Ca | ||||||||
44m3Sc | 146.224(22) keV | 50.4(7) µs | 0- | ||||||
45Sc | 21 | 24 | 44.9559119(9) | Stable | 7/2- | 1.0000 | |||
45mSc | 12.40(5) keV | 318(7) ms | IT | 45Sc | 3/2+ | ||||
46Sc | 21 | 25 | 45.9551719(9) | 83.79(4) d | β- | 46Ti | 4+ | ||
46m1Sc | 52.011(1) keV | 9.4(8) µs | 6+ | ||||||
46m2Sc | 142.528(7) keV | 18.75(4) s | IT | 46Sc | 1- | ||||
47Sc | 21 | 26 | 46.9524075(22) | 3.3492(6) d | β- | 47Ti | 7/2- | ||
47mSc | 766.83(9) keV | 272(8) ns | (3/2)+ | ||||||
48Sc | 21 | 27 | 47.952231(6) | 43.67(9) h | β- | 48Ti | 6+ | ||
49Sc | 21 | 28 | 48.950024(4) | 57.2(2) min | β- | 49Ti | 7/2- | ||
50Sc | 21 | 29 | 49.952188(17) | 102.5(5) s | β- | 50Ti | 5+ | ||
50mSc | 256.895(10) keV | 350(40) ms | IT (97.5%) | 50Sc | 2+,3+ | ||||
β- (2.5%) | 50Ti | ||||||||
51Sc | 21 | 30 | 50.953603(22) | 12.4(1) s | β- | 51Ti | (7/2)- | ||
52Sc | 21 | 31 | 51.95668(21) | 8.2(2) s | β- | 52Ti | 3(+) | ||
53Sc | 21 | 32 | 52.95961(32)# | >3 s | β- (>99.9%) | 53Ti | (7/2-)# | ||
β-, n (<.1%) | 52Ti | ||||||||
54Sc | 21 | 33 | 53.96326(40) | 260(30) ms | β- (>99.9%) | 54Ti | 3+# | ||
β-, n (<.1%) | 53Ti | ||||||||
54mSc | 110(3) keV | 7(5) µs | (5+) | ||||||
55Sc | 21 | 34 | 54.96824(79) | 0.115(15) s | β- (>99.9%) | 55Ti | 7/2-# | ||
β-, n (<.1%) | 54Ti | ||||||||
56Sc | 21 | 35 | 55.97287(75)# | 35(5) ms | β- | 56Ti | (1+) | ||
57Sc | 21 | 36 | 56.97779(75)# | 13(4) ms | β- | 57Ti | 7/2-# | ||
58Sc | 21 | 37 | 57.98371(86)# | 12(5) ms | β- | 58Ti | (3+)# | ||
59Sc | 21 | 38 | 58.98922(97)# | 10# ms | β-, n | 58Ti | 7/2-# | ||
β- | 59Ti | ||||||||
60Sc | 21 | 39 | 59.99571(97)# | 3# ms | 3+# |
Isotopes of calcium | Isotopes of scandium | Isotopes of titanium |
Index to isotope pages · Table of nuclides |