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.
Gallery
Jurii, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, source: https://images-of-elements.com/vanadium.php
Physical Propertiesmass · density · phase · crystal
Atomic Mass
50.9415Da
Density
6g/cm³
Phase (STP)
Solid
Melting Point
2183.2K
Boiling Point
3680.2K
Molar Heat
0.4890J/(mol·K)
Crystal Structure
BCC
Lattice Constant
3.020Å
Atomic Radiiatomic · covalent · van der Waals
Atomic (Empirical)
135.00pm
Covalent
134.00pm
Van der Waals
207.00pm
Electronic Propertieselectronegativity · ionization · affinity
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d3 4s2
Electron Shells
2, 8, 11, 2
Electronegativity
1.63Pauling
Electron Affinity
0.5kJ/mol
1st Ionization Energy
6.7kJ/mol
Oxidation States
-3, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5
Orbital DiagramAufbau · Hund's rule · Pauli exclusion
Full: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d3 4s2Short: [Ar] 3d3 4s2
Ionization Energies (23 known)
Emission Spectrumvisible range · characteristic spectral lines
Abundanceby mass
Log scale · ppm = parts per million by mass
Biological Role
May be essential in very small amounts. Inhibits cholesterol synthesis in some organisms.
Discovery
Discovered By
Nils Sefström
Named By
—
Year
1830
Nuclear Data
Known Isotopes
29
Stable Isotopes
5
Stable Mass Numbers
39, 40, 41, 42, 51
Natural isotopic abundance (IUPAC recommended values)
Isotopes of V29 known
| Nuclide | Z | N | Mass (AMU) | Half-life | Decay | Jπ | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39Vstable | 23 | 16 | 39.024230 | Stable | p | 7/2- | — |
| 40Vstable | 23 | 17 | 40.013387 | Stable | p | 2- | — |
| 41Vstable | 23 | 18 | 41.000333 | Stable | p | 7/2- | — |
| 42Vstable | 23 | 19 | 41.991820 | Stable | p | 2- | — |
| 50V | 23 | 27 | 49.947157 | 271000000 Gy | β⁺ (1%), β⁻ | 6+ | 25.0000% |
| 51Vstable | 23 | 28 | 50.943958 | Stable | stable (1%) | 7/2- | 9975.0000% |
| 65V | 23 | 42 | 64.986999 | Unknown | β⁻, β⁻n, 2n | 5/2- | — |
| 66V | 23 | 43 | 65.993237 | Unknown | β⁻, β⁻n, 2n | — | — |
| 67V | 23 | 44 | 66.998128 | Unknown | β⁻, β⁻n, 2n | 5/2- | — |