Isotopes of scandium
Isotopes of scandium
Scandium has one natural, stable isotope: 45Sc. Scientists have identified 26 radioisotopes of scandium, ranging from 37Sc to 63Sc. The longest-lived are:
- 46Sc: about 83.8 days
- 47Sc: about 3.35 days
- 48Sc: about 43.7 hours
- 44Sc: about 4.04 hours
- 43Sc: about 3.89 hours
Most other scandium radioisotopes have half-lives under an hour, and many decay in seconds or less.
There are also 13 nuclear isomer states (excited forms). The most stable is 44m3Sc, with a half-life of about 58.6 hours; this is the lightest scandium isotope that has a long-lived isomer.
Decay patterns depend on mass:
- Isotopes lighter than 45Sc mostly decay by beta-plus decay or electron capture to calcium isotopes.
- Isotopes heavier than 45Sc mostly decay by beta-minus decay to titanium isotopes.
A notable isotope is 44Sc, which has potential use in PET imaging for medicine.
The standard atomic weight of scandium is about 44.956.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:50 (CET).