METHOD FOR PRODUCING HIGH-PURITY METAL SCANDIUM Russian patent published in 2021 - IPC C22B59/00 C22B9/04 

FIELD: metallurgy.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the metallurgy of rare metals, it can be used to produce high-purity metal scandium. The method involves the reduction of scandium chloride in two stages with sodium metal in the presence of a fluxing agent - potassium chloride when heated. Recovery is carried out in a tantalum melting pot. The first stage of reduction is carried out with metallic sodium, taken in an amount of 5-7% of the total mass of sodium, when heated to a temperature of 400ºC in a vacuum of 1·10-2 mm Hg and kept at this temperature for 30-60 minutes. The second stage is carried out when heated to a temperature of 900-1100ºC in argon. Then, the remaining amount of molten metallic sodium with an excess of 10-20% of the stoichiometry is fed to the surface of the resulting melt. After the total amount of sodium is supplied, the reaction mass is kept at a temperature of 900-1100ºC for 1-2 hours, followed by the removal of excess sodium vapor in a vacuum to obtain a metal scandium sponge in the molten salts. The excess sodium vapor is removed and the sodium chloride and potassium chloride salts are drained and distilled from the melting pot, and the metal scandium sponge is vacuum distilled directly in the tantalum melting pot.

EFFECT: method provides production of metal scandium with the required characteristics of chemical purity from 99.990 to 99.999 wt.%.

5 cl, 2 tbl, 2 ex