Vanadium facts for kids

Vanadium metal

Vanadium is a chemical element found on the periodic table. Its special number is 23, and its symbol is V. It got its name from Vanadis, another name for the Norse goddess Freyja.

Vanadium is a type of metal called a transition metal. It's mostly used to make steel stronger and tougher.

You can find vanadium in many living things, especially those that live in water. Scientists think our bodies might need a tiny bit of vanadium, but they are still studying this.

Vanadium can mix with other elements to create chemical compounds. These compounds often have amazing and colorful looks!

Where is Vanadium Found?

Vanadium in Space

Vanadium is quite common in the universe, making up about 0.0001% of everything. That's almost as much as copper or zinc! Scientists can spot vanadium by looking at the light from the Sun and other stars using a method called spectroscopy.

Vanadium on Earth

Vanadium is found all over Earth's crust, in seawater, and in underground water. This means it plays a role in how life and the environment work. Many ocean creatures use vanadium. For example, some algae and bacteria use it for important processes like fixing nitrogen.

Vanadium in the Ocean

In the ocean, vanadium is the second most common transition metal dissolved in seawater, after molybdenum. Some special enzymes in marine algae and bacteria use vanadium to help them work. These enzymes are called vanadate-dependent haloperoxidases.

Scientists study how vanadium moves in and out of the oceans. About 40 to 50 billion grams of vanadium enter and leave the ocean each year. It stays dissolved in seawater for a very long time, around 130,000 years! Vanadium enters the ocean from things like dust from land, volcanic eruptions, and even burning biomass. Human activities, like burning fossil fuels, also add vanadium to the environment.

Vanadium in Rocks and Minerals

Vanadium is the 22nd most common element in the Earth's crust. You won't often find pure vanadium metal in nature. However, it's part of about 65 different minerals.

Most of the world's vanadium comes from a mineral called magnetite, which is found in a type of rock called gabbro. The main countries that mine vanadium are South Africa, north-western China, and eastern Russia. In 2013, these three countries produced over 97% of the 79,000 tonnes of vanadium mined globally.

Vanadium can also be found in bauxite, which is used to make aluminum. It's also present in crude oil, coal, oil shale, and tar sands.

How Vanadium is Used

Vanadium is very important for making strong materials.

• It's mainly used to make steel alloys, which are mixtures of metals. Adding vanadium makes steel much stronger, tougher, and more resistant to wear.
• This strong vanadium steel is used in things like tools, car parts, and even in the Ford Model T's chassis.
• Vanadium compounds are also used as catalysts, which are substances that speed up chemical reactions. For example, Vanadium(V) oxide helps make sulfuric acid, a very important chemical.
• Some vanadium compounds have beautiful colors and are used in dyes and pigments.

Images for kids

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  The Ford Model T used vanadium steel in its chassis.

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  From left: Vanadium compounds in different colors: lilac, green, blue, and yellow.

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  The decavanadate structure.

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  A ball-and-stick model of vanadyl acetylacetonate.

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  Vanadinite mineral.

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  Vacuum sublimed vanadium dendritic crystals (99.9% pure).

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  Crystal-bar vanadium, showing different textures. A 99.95%-pure cube is shown for comparison.

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  Ferrovanadium chunks.

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  A tool made from vanadium steel.

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  Vanadium(V) oxide is a catalyst used to make sulfuric acid.

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  The active part of the enzyme vanadium bromoperoxidase.

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  The mushroom Amanita muscaria contains a vanadium compound called amavadin.

See also

In Spanish: Vanadio para niños