V
Vanadium is a hard, silvery-gray transition metal used to strengthen steel alloys.
Physical Properties
| Atomic Mass | 50.942 u |
| Density | 6.11 g/cm³ |
| Melting Point | 2183.0 K |
| Boiling Point | 3680.0 K |
| Appearance | Blue-silver-gray metallic |
| State at Room Temp | Solid |
Chemical Properties
| Electronegativity | 1.63 (Pauling) |
| 1st Ionization Energy | 650.9 kJ/mol |
| Electron Affinity | 50.6 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation States | +2, +3, +4, +5 |
Atomic Properties
| Electron Configuration | [Ar] 3d3 4s2 |
| Atomic Radius | 134.0 pm |
| Covalent Radius | 153.0 pm |
| Van der Waals Radius | 179.0 pm |
Discovery
| Discovered By | Andres Manuel del Rio, Nils Gabriel Sefstrom |
| Discovery Year | 1801 |
| Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Named After | Vanadis, the Scandinavian goddess of beauty and fertility |
About Vanadium
Vanadium is a hard, silvery-gray, ductile transition metal rarely found free in nature. About 80% of vanadium is used in ferrovanadium steel alloys. It was discovered twice -- first in 1801 by del Rio, then rediscovered in 1831.
Uses & Applications
Steel alloys, vanadium redox batteries, titanium-aluminum-vanadium aerospace alloys, and catalysts.
Fun Fact
Vanadium was discovered, then lost, then rediscovered -- del Rio found it in 1801 but was talked out of his discovery.
Isotopes
| Mass Number | Abundance | Half-Life | Stable |
| 50 | 0.0025% | - | Yes |
| 51 | 0.9975% | - | Yes |
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d3 4s2