vanadium [V]

Introduction

Named for Vanadis, a Scandinavian goddess, because of its many colorful compounds. Discovered by Mexican chemist Andres Manuel del Rio in 1801, but he withdrew his claim when the discovery was disputed. Rediscovered in 1830 by Swedish chemist Nils G Sefstrom.

Occurrence

• constitutes about 0.02% of earth's crust
• found in trace quantities in > 60 different minerals
• vanadinite is the most important source
• 2nd most abundant transition metal ion in surface seawater after molybdenum

Characteristics

• bright, shiny, grayish metal
• malleable, ductile
• very resistance to corrosion
• several oxidation states, +2, +3, +4, +5

Uses

• esp to form alloys (as vanadium steel)
  • tools, construction, jet engines
• essential to some organisms (stimulates metabolism)
• catalyst in preparation of sulfuric acid vanadium pentoxide
  • preparation of sulfuric acid
  • mordant

More general terms

• trace element
• metal

Additional terms

• vanadate

Database

• PubChem: http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=23990