Periodic Table

Vanadium

Transition Metal

Quick Facts about Vanadium

Ti
  • solid- state of matter at room temperature
  • Stable- has at least one stable isotope
  • +5, +4, +3, +2- common oxidation states in compounds
  • BCC- crystal structure, atomic arrangement in solid form
Cr

Vanadium (V) is element 23 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of V: 50.9420 u. V is in period 4, group 5. Melting point of V: 2183.00 K.Density of V: 6.00 g/cm³.

Why Vanadium Matters

Vanadium in everyday life and industry

In Your Home

  • Surgical instruments often contain vanadium for added strength and corrosion resistance
  • The bright yellow pigment in some paints contains vanadium compounds

Industry Uses

MetallurgyVanadium steel alloys make car axles, crankshafts, and gears incredibly tough
IndustryMost rechargeable vanadium redox batteries are used for large-scale energy storage

In Your Body

✗ Not essential

Some mushrooms accumulate vanadium, particularly Amanita muscaria Sea squirts concentrate vanadium in their blood at levels millions of times higher than seawater Vanadium may play a role in bone metabolism in humans Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria use vanadium-based nitrogenase enzymes

Safety: No significant toxicity data for Vanadium.

Discovery of Vanadium

Discovered by Nils Sefström in Sweden, 1830

Name origin: From Scandinavian goddess, Vanadis.

History & Events

1801
Named after Vanadis, the Scandinavian goddess of beauty, for its colorful compounds
1801
Discovered twice - first by del Rio in 1801, then by Sefström in 1830
1801
Henry Ford chose vanadium steel for Model T cars, making them lighter yet stronger
1801
Ancient Damascus steel swords contained traces of vanadium contributing to their legendary properties

About Vanadium

Soft and ductile, bright white metal. Good resistance to corrosion by alkalis, sulphuric and hydrochloric acid. It oxidizes readily about 933K. There are two naturally occurring isotopes of vanadium, and 5 radioisotopes, V-49 having the longest half-life at 337 days. Vanadium has nuclear applications, the foil is used in cladding titanium to steel, and vanadium-gallium tape is used to produce a superconductive magnet. Originally discovered by Andres Manuel del Rio of Mexico City in 1801. His discovery went unheeded, however, and in 1820, Nils Gabriel Sefstron of Sweden rediscovered it. Metallic vanadium was isolated by Henry Enfield Roscoe in 1867. The name vanadium comes from Vanadis, a goddess of Scandinavian mythology. Silvery-white metallic transition element. Vanadium is essential to Ascidians. Rats and chickens are also known to require it. Metal powder is a fire hazard, and vanadium compounds should be considered highly toxic. May cause lung cancer if inhaled.

Atomic Properties of V

Atomic Number of V
23
Atomic Mass of V
50.9420 u
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d3 4s2
Electronegativity
1.63
Block
d-block
Group
5
Period
4

Physical Properties of V

Phase (STP)
solid
Melting Point of V
2183.00 K
Boiling Point of V
3680.00 K
Density of V
6.0000 g/cm3

Thermal Properties

Heat of Fusion
17.50 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization
460.00 kJ/mol
Specific Heat
0.49 J/g·K
Molar Heat Capacity
24.89 J/mol·K
Thermal Conductivity
30.70 W/m·K

Atomic Radii

Calculated
135 pm
Covalent
134 pm
Van der Waals
207 pm
Metallic
122 pm

Common Misconceptions

Wrong:Vanadium is rare.
Correct:It's the 20th most abundant element in Earth's crust
Wrong:Vanadium supplements are proven effective for diabetes.
Correct:Despite marketing claims, vanadium supplements aren't proven effective for diabetes—clinical evidence is lacking
Wrong:Most vanadium is come from mining.
Correct:It's a byproduct of oil and ore processing

Isotopes of Vanadium

Vanadium has 2 naturally occurring isotopes, plus 2 notable radioactive isotopes.

IsotopeAtomic Mass (u)AbundanceHalf-LifeDecay Mode
4823V (V-48)Vanadium-48 isotope47.95225220%15.97 daysβ⁺, EC
4923V (V-49)Vanadium-49 isotope48.94851180%337 daysEC
5023V (V-50)Vanadium-50 isotope49.947156010.2500%
5123V (V-51)Vanadium-51 isotope50.9439570499.75%

Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)

Isotope Applications

Isotopes of Vanadium have important real-world applications in science and industry.

Industrial Applications

51V is used in solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to provide information to material scientists about surface species of vanadium oxide catalysts (substances that increase the rate of chemical reactions without themselves undergoing any permanent chemical change), their interaction with the supporting material, and their reactions during catalytic processes [205].

Abundance

Earth's Crust
120.0 mg/kg
Seawater
2.50 μg/kg

Uses

It is mixed with other metals to make very strong and durable alloys. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is used as a catalyst, dye and color-fixer.

Sources

Found in the minerals patronite (VS4), vanadinite [Pb5(VO4)3Cl], and carnotite [K2(UO2)2(VO4)2·3H2O]. Pure metal produced by heating with C and Cl to produce VCl3 which is heated with Mg in Ar atmosphere.

Geochemistry

Goldschmidt
litophile
Geochemical Class
first series transition metal

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