Vanadium

About Vanadium (V)

Symbol: V
Atomic number: 23
Atomic weight: 50.9415
Element category: transition metal
Vanadium is a hard, silvery gray, ductile and malleable transition metal. The element is found only in chemically combined form in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer stabilizes the free metal somewhat against further oxidation.
About 80% of the vanadium produced is used as a steel additive. Vanadium is compatible with iron and titanium, therefore a thin layer of vanadium is used to bond titanium to steel. Vanadium alloys are used in nuclear reactors because of vanadium’s low neutron-absorbing properties.
The oxide and some other salts of vanadium have moderate toxicity. But it is probably a micronutrient in mammals, including humans.