Vanadium Traditional Cache
Boreal Walker: Looks like this one has run its course. Putting it to rest since there isn't much left of the cache.
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Chemistry Lesson
Vanadium (is a chemical element that has the symbol V and atomic number 23. Andrés Manuel del Río discovered it in 1801 and named it erythronium, but withdrew his claim four years later when it was (incorrectly) suggested that the mineral was actually lead chromate. The element was rediscovered in 1831 by Nils Gabriel Sefström, who named the element vanadium after the goddess Vanadis. It occurs naturally in about 65 different minerals and in fossil fuel deposits. It is produced in China and Russia from steel smelter slag while other countries use heavy oil flue dust. Metallic vanadium is soft and ductile. It is mainly used to produce specialty steel alloys such as high speed tool steels. The compound vanadium pentoxide is used as catalyst for the production of sulfuric acid. Vanadium is found in many organisms, but not humans.
Vanadium is a soft, ductile, silver-grey metal. It has good resistance to corrosion both by alkalis and sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. It is oxidized in air at about 933 K (660 °C). Vanadium has good structural strength. Common oxidation states of vanadium include +2, +3, +4 and +5. In a popular experiment, ammonium vanadate (NH4VO3) can be successively reduced with zinc metal to demonstrate the different colours of vanadium in these four oxidation states. Lower oxidation states occur in compounds such as V(CO)6 and [V(CO)6]- and substituted derivatives.
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