Isotopes of scandium
nuclear variants of the element
Naturally-occurring scandium (21Sc) is composed of one stable isotope, 45Sc. Twenty-six radioisotopes have been characterized from 37Sc to 63Sc, with the most stable being 46Sc with a half-life of 83.76 days, 47Sc with a half-life of 3.3492 days, 48Sc at 43.67 hours, 44Sc at 4.042 hours, and 43Sc at 3.891 hours. All other radioisotopes isotopes have half-lives shorter than an hour, and the majority of these shorter than 15 seconds. This element also has 13 meta states with the most stable being 44m3Sc (t1/2 = 58.6 h); this is the lightest isotope with a long-lived isomer.
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.
Scandium-44 has potential medical use for PET imaging.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Isotopes of scandium” is nuclear variants of the element. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Isotopes, scandium and nuclear, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “nuclear variants of the element” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q255478. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Isotopes of scandium”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Isotopes of scandium primary sources, Isotopes of scandium archive and Isotopes research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Isotopes of scandium”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Isotopes of scandium” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.