The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Vanadium is a transition metal in Group 5 and Row 4 of the periodic table. It has an atomic number of 23, an atomic mass of 50.9415, and a chemical symbol of V.
Vanadium is a silvery white, ductile, malleable metal with a melting point of about 3,450°F (1,900°C), a boiling point of 5,400°F (3,000°C), and a density of 6.11 grams per cubic centimeter. It is fairly inactive at room temperature, not reacting with oxygen, water, or most cold acids. It becomes more reactive at higher temperatures.
Vanadium is relatively abundant in the Earth's crust, with an abundance estimated at about 100 parts per million. It is found in a number of minerals, including vanadinite, carnotite, roscoelite, and patronite. It is obtained commercially as a byproduct of the manufacture of iron since it is also present in most iron ores.
Vanadium was "discovered" twice, the first time in 1801 by Spanish-Mexican metallurgist Andrés Manuel del Río (1764-1849). Del Río found the element for which he suggested the name panchromium, meaning "all colors." His colleagues in Europe were unable to confirm his discovery, however, and thought that del Río had mistaken chromium for a new element. About 30 years later, however, del Río's original findings were confirmed when Swedish chemist Nils Gabriel Sefström (1787-1845) rediscovered a new element in an ore of iron. He found that his "new element" was identical to the one del Río had reported three decades earlier. Sefström proposed the name vanadium for the element in honor of the Scandinavian goddess of love, Vanadis.
About 90% of the vanadium produced is used in steel alloys, to which it adds strength, toughness, and resistance to corrosion. Such alloys are often used in space vehicles and aircraft; in building and heavy construction equipment; and in transportation, machinery, and tools. Relatively small amounts of vanadium are used to make compounds with commercial applications, the most important of which is vanadium pentoxide (V2O5). Vanadium pentoxide is used as a catalyst in many industrial operations, as a coloring material for glass and ceramics, in the dyeing of textiles, and in batteries.