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21

Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. Its also silvery and white.

The element is surprisingly rare. It is the scarcest element between Cl and Fe by a full order of magnitude. The last two stages of fusion in massive stars are the oxygen-burning process(1), which produces elements in the silicon-sulfur group, and the silicon-burning process, which produces iron-group elements(2). Scandium is too large (Z or A) to be produced efficiently in the former and too small to be produced efficiently by the latter.


REFERENCES

  1. "Oxygen Burning Process" and "Silicon Burning Process"; both in Wikipedia
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