It is a rare metal, ductile and hard at the same time. It is found in different minerals and is basically used in various alloys. The name of the element comes from the goddess of beauty Vanadis recognized in Norse mythology.
Vanadium, as mentioned above, is a greyish-white metal. It is a ductile and malleable transition. Creating an oxide layer of this metal stabilizes the vanadium to prevent oxidation. The element is found naturally in minerals, there are about 65 different types and it is also found in fossil fuel deposits.
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Electron configuration of vanadium
The distribution of the 23 electrons of vanadium is as follows: the first layer has 2 electrons, the second layer has 8, in the third layer there are 11 electrons and in the fourth there are only 2.
The Bohr radius or atomic radius of vanadium is 171 pm, the covalent radius is 125 pm and the mean radius is 135 pm. The atomic mass of vanadium is 50.9415 u. In the periodic table of chemical elements, vanadium is found in period 4 and in group 5.
Vanadium Setup Basic Features
Vanadium is a transition metal which has a high resistance to bases, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid. It reacts with a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and nitric acid or with aqua regia. It is obtained through various materials and oils. It also comes from the recovery of the vanadium oxide present in the powders obtained in the combustion processes.
Some of its applications are for atomistics due to its low electron capture section. In some living beings it is an important element but its function is not yet known with certainty. It has different oxidation states in its compounds, the most common being +3, +2, +5 and +4.
Its boiling point is 3409.85 degrees Celsius or 3682 degrees Kelvin and its melting point is 1902.85 degrees Celsius at 2175 degrees Kelvin.
Vanadium isotopes
There is a stable isotope of vanadium in nature, which is vanadium-51. There are 15 characterized radioisotopes, the most stable are vanadium-50 with a half-life of 1.5 × 1017 years, vanadium-49 with 330 days and vanadium-48 with 159.735 days. The rest have half-lives of less than an hour, most less than ten seconds. This element also has a meta state.
Precautions with vanadium
Vanadium metal powder is pyrophoric. Compounds of this element are considered very toxic, inhalation of them can cause lung cancer.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States has set an exposure limit for gaseous vanadium pentoxide at 0.1 mg/m3 and for vanadium pentoxide at approximately 0.05 mg/m3.mg /m3. This in an aerial environment in the workplace for a period of 8 hours, at the rate of 40 hours per week.
On the other hand, the (NIOSH) which stands for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also in the United States, recommends that a level corresponding to 35 mg/m3 of vanadium be considered dangerous for life and health. . This level can trigger various problems that can stay in the human body and harm health, as well as lead to death.
Fossil fuels contain traces of vanadium which are possible corrosion triggers. Vanadium is the main component of fuel that influences high temperature corrosion. During combustion, it oxidizes and reacts with sulfur and sodium.
Obtaining vanadate compounds with melting points reaching 530 degrees Celsius develops an attack on the passivation layer of the steel, making it susceptible to corrosion. Compounds containing solid vanadium can also cause abrasion of engine components. Vanadium sulfate can be used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.
