Scandium

Description: Scandium is a silver-white metal. When exposed to air, it will develop a slightly yellowish or pinkish cast. Scandium is a relatively soft element which resembles yttrium and the rare-earth metals more than aluminum or titanium. It is a very light metal with a much higher melting point than aluminum, making it appealing to spacecraft designers. Scandium is not attacked by a 1:1 mixture of HNO3 and 48% HF. Chemically it is an alkaline earth element. It readily forms a white coating of nitride in air, reacts with water, and burns with a yellow-red flame.

Source: Scandium is widely distributed on the planet, occurring in trace amounts in over 800 mineral species. The majority of scandium is currently recovered from thortveitite or extracted as a by-product from uranium mill tailings.