Vanadium - Element information, properties and uses (2024)

Transcript :

Chemistry in its element: vanadium

(Promo)

You're listening to Chemistry in its element brought to you by Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

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Chris Smith

Hello, this week to an element with a role in body building and that's not just of the human kind. This is the stuff that was essential in helping to get the Model T Fords to first roll off of the production line because it strengthens steel. It's also the catalytic power behind the production of sulphuric acid and its named after the Norse God of beauty, love and fertility. And to reveal her identify here's Chris Orvig.

Chris Orvig

Vanadium, a first row transition metal in the Periodic Table, is an element of mystery. Not only was it first transported two hundred years ago from Mexico, and lost in a shipwreck along with all of the relevant lab notes by the great German scientist Baron von Humboldt, but it required discovery several times by such famous names as Wöhler, Berzelius and del Rio (who was actually talked out of his claim in 1805). Final and convincing verification came from the Swede Nils Sefström out of an oxide in iron ores in 1831. Vanadium metal was first prepared in the 1860s by English chemist Henry Enfield Roscoe. The place of vanadium as a trace element necessary for life processes has been just as tortuously argued and hotly debated through most of the last century - doubtless many organisms and other mammals require it.but do humans? A deficiency condition in humans has never been defined, but vanadium does have a medicinally relevant role as a potential treatment for diabetes mellitus, but more on this later.

Vanadium is the fifth most abundant transition metal in the earth's crust, often found with titanium and iron in their ores, and significant concentrations are found in certain coal and oil deposits, such as crude and shale oils. In its metallic state, it strengthens stainless steel and some superconducting alloys, while in its numerous ionic states it has been used spectroscopically to probe enzyme active sites and is found in both naturally occurring catalysts in seaweed and lab catalysts for oxidation chemistry. Silver vanadium oxides have a role in battery chemistry. The first large scale industrial use of vanadium metal was a century ago in the steels used to fashion the chassis of the Ford Model T car, and steel remains the main use of vanadium metal. Because vanadium is a light transition metal, not a "heavy metal" as often incorrectly claimed in the toxicology literature, vanadium metal contributes reduced weight to high tensile strength steels. The compound of greatest commercial importance is vanadium pentoxide, V2O5, which is used as a catalyst for the production of sulfuric acid, the bulk commodity chemical of greatest world production.

Tremendous versatility for an element named by Sefström for Vanadis (also known as Freyja) the Norse goddess of beauty, love and fertility. All seven oxidation states from -1 to +5 are known in inorganic chemistry, and give rise to the many beautiful colours often associated with transition metal compounds. Its multiple oxidation states, ready hydrolysis and polymerisation bestow upon vanadium a chemistry far richer and more complex than that of many elements, formation of aggregated oxyanions and sulfur complexes being just two examples. The highest three oxidation states (III, IV and V) are of significant importance in water and are the oxidation states found in the more than one hundred known vanadium minerals. The tar sands of Alberta in western Canada present a huge untapped reservoir of vanadium.

Certain marine ascidians and sea squirts concentrate vanadium up to one million fold from surrounding seawater, while mushroom species such as amanita muscaria concentrate vanadium(IV); in both cases the reasons have yet to be elucidated. Biology exploits vanadium's oxidation state promiscuity in the vanadium-dependent haloperoxidases, which were discovered in marine brown algae and seaweed in the 1980s; these are surprisingly robust marine enzymes that oxidise substrates using peroxide as an electron acceptor. There is even a vanadium nitrogenase - a vanadium nitrogen-reducing alternative to the iron-molybdenum enzyme that reduces dinitrogen to ammonia in the root-nodules of many plants.

Most conveniently for studies of vanadium(V) chemistry (that which is important in oxidation catalysis), naturally occurring vanadium is mono-isotopic - vanadium-51 has a nuclear spin of 7/2 which is useful for NMR spectroscopy. Vanadium(IV) has one unpaired 3d electron that, coupled with the nuclear spin, is exquisitely diagnostic in EPR spectroscopy - the vanadyl ion (VO2+) is a sensitive spectroscopic probe that has been used to elucidate enzyme active site structure, as well as catalytic activity.

Vanadium has significant effects on cellular growth, redox and signaling processes, as well as enzyme function. Vanadyl sulphate is a very controversial dietary supplement, popular in body-building and can often be purchased in gym shops where allowed by law. The vanadate anion is a phosphate mimic that has been used as a probe of the enzymes that transfer phosphates in cell signaling - the phosphatases and kinases. Not surprisingly vanadium shows many interesting biological properties resulting from this activity, not the least of which is its ability to enhance, but not mimic, the action of insulin, the key hormone in diabetes mellitus. This property was first shown in France in three diabetic humans and published in 1899 in La Presse Médicale. Vanadium does not act in the complete absence of insulin - hence it is an enhancer rather than a mimic of insulin. Significant efforts over the last 25 years, since John McNeill of the University of British Columbia showed that vanadate was effective in a diabetic rat model, have led to a number of vanadium compounds now being clinically investigated in humans as potential agents for the treatment of diabetes.

Chris Smith

A colourful transition metal with a sweet side. That was chemist Chris Orvig and he's based at the University of British Columbia. Next week you'll have to be sure to hold your nose.

Bernard J Bulkin

Butyl seleno mercaptan is the essential ingredient of skunk smell, and is certainly a contender for the title of the worst smelling compound. Once you have smelt it you will never forget it, nor underestimate the impact that this interesting element can have.

Chris Smith

Yuk, but thankfully you can catch up with the whole story of selenium and without having to have an unforgettable encounter with a skunk and that's all on next week's Chemistry in its Element. I'm Chris Smith, thank you for listening and goodbye.

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Chemistry in its element is brought to you by the Royal Society of Chemistry and produced bythenakedscientists.com. There's more information and other episodes of Chemistry in its element on our website atchemistryworld.org/elements.

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Vanadium
    - Element information, properties and uses (2024)

FAQs

Vanadium - Element information, properties and uses? ›

Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a transition metal, known for its corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, and ability to form various compounds. Vanadium compounds are often used in steel production, catalysts, and rechargeable batteries.

What are the uses and properties of vanadium? ›

Vanadium alloys are used in nuclear reactors because of vanadium's low neutron-absorbing properties. Vanadium(V) oxide is used as a pigment for ceramics and glass, as a catalyst and in producing superconducting magnets. Vanadium is essential to some species, including humans, although we need very little.

What is 5 facts about vanadium? ›

Interactive Periodic Table of the Elements
atomic number23
atomic weight50.942
melting point1,890 °C (3,434 °F)
boiling point3,380 °C (6,116 °F)
specific gravity5.96 at 20 °C (68 °F)
2 more rows
May 13, 2024

Is vanadium a rare element? ›

Vanadium is often considered to be an uncommon element, but its abundance in the earth's crust is actually comparable to that of copper, nickel, and zinc. However, despite its abundance, it is one of the most expensive elements to recover. Ore values generally are 1.5 percent vanadium pentoxide.

What are the properties of vanadium 5? ›

Chemical Properties Of Vanadium
Group51910°C, 3470°F, 2183 K
Blockd6.0
Atomic number2350.942
State at 20°CSolid51V
Electron configuration[Ar] 3d34s27440-62-2
2 more rows

Is vanadium toxic to humans? ›

At common concentrations, vanadium is non-toxic. The main source for potentially toxic effects caused by vanadium is exposure to high loads of vanadium oxides in the breathing air of vanadium processing industrial enterprises. Vanadium can enter the body via the lungs or, more commonly, the stomach.

What is vanadium used for in everyday life? ›

Vanadium can be used to make steel alloys, for use in space vehicles, nuclear reactors and aircraft carriers, etc. Vanadium steel alloys' strength means that they are perfectly suited to the creation of tools, axles, piston rods and as girders in construction.

Why is vanadium so special? ›

Although a lesser-known metal, it is quite valuable in the manufacturing industry due to its malleable, ductile and corrosion-resistant qualities. Vanadium rarely exists as a free element in nature but can be found in about 65 different minerals, including magnetite, vanadinite, carnotite and patronite.

Why is vanadium important to the human body? ›

Vanadium is a trace mineral found in many foods. Scientists think your body may need vanadium in very small amounts for normal bone growth. Scientists aren't sure exactly what effects vanadium may have, or what amount might be helpful, however, they know high doses of vanadium are likely to be unsafe.

Does vanadium rust? ›

Vanadium is relatively resistant to corrosion in phosphoric, sulfuric, and hydrochloric acids at 35° and 60°C, but corrodes rapidly in nitric acid solutions.

Is vanadium good or bad? ›

It's likely safe when used in amounts less than 1.8 mg daily. Vanadium is possibly unsafe when used in higher amounts. Higher doses might cause stomach discomfort, diarrhea, nausea, problems with the nervous system, and kidney damage.

What is vanadium weakness? ›

Vanadium has good corrosion resistance to alkalis, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and saltwater, but it oxidizes readily at temperatures exceeding 660°C. The metal has good structural strength and a low fission neutron cross section. Vanadium and all of its compounds are toxic and should be handled with care.

Is vanadium flammable? ›

Vanadium itself does not burn. * POISONOUS FUMES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE, including Vanadium Oxide. * Use water spray to keep fire-exposed containers cool.

What are the healing properties of vanadium? ›

Vanadium is used for treating diabetes, low blood sugar, high cholesterol, heart disease, tuberculosis, syphilis, a form of “tired blood” (anemia), and water retention (edema); for improving athletic performance in weight training; and for preventing cancer.

What are the disadvantages of vanadium? ›

Next to the neurological effects vanadium can cause breathing disorders, paralyses and negative effects on the liver and kidneys. Laboratory tests with test animals have shown, that vanadium can cause harm to the reproductive system of male animals, and that it accumulates in the female placenta.

What are the properties of pure vanadium? ›

Vanadium
Melting point2183 K ​(1910 °C, ​3470 °F)
Boiling point3680 K ​(3407 °C, ​6165 °F)
Density (at 20° C)6.099 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.)5.5 g/cm3
55 more rows

Why is vanadium valuable to us? ›

Its remarkable high-temperature resistance and ability to improve the strength and durability of steel make it an indispensable alloying element. In high temperatures (around 580°C), vanadium assists in resisting creep corrosion and fatigue of turbine casting, rotors and disk blades.

Is vanadium safe to touch? ›

* Vanadium can affect you when breathed in. * Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. * Breathing Vanadium can irritate the nose, throat and lungs causing coughing, wheezing and/or shortness of breath. * High exposure to Vanadium can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and greenish discoloration of the tongue.

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