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Give reasons for the following.
Scandium (Z = 21) does not exhibit variable oxidation states and yet it is regarded as transition…
Scandium ($Z = 21$) does not exhibit variable oxidation states and yet it is regarded as transition element. Why?
Answer
Answer
Because scandium has an incomplete d-subshell in its $\mathrm{Sc^{2+}}$ ion and atom ($3d^1 4s^2$), which is what defines a transition element.