Vanadium is a type of metal, a chemical element in the periodic table with the atomic number 23 and V as its symbol. It is placed between titanium and chromium, both metals themselves that shares a compatible relationship with vanadium.
Vanadium was discovered in 1801 by Andres Manuel del Rio, a Spanish-Mexican naturalist and scientist known mostly for his discovery of the element.
He discovered vanadium while analyzing the mineral vanadinite. He named it erythonium, but was convinced by other scientists that it was too similar to chromium to be considered a new element. It wasn’t until 1831 when Nils Gabriel Sefstrom rediscovered the element that it was given the name Vanadium, after the Norse goddess of beauty.
Ferro vanadium is a type of metal alloy that is mixed with steel to create a special alloy, making it much tougher and more durable than its previous state.
After ferro vanadium was discovered, steel saw its applications broaden to include gears, crankshafts, bicycle frames, axles, surgical implements and tools, as well as other critical components. Sometimes vanadium is also mixed with titanium and aluminum alloys for use in high-speed airframes and jet engines.
The practice of mixing steel with vanadium began somewhere around the start of the 20th century. It’s a popular practice even up to now. Especially now.
Vanadium doesn’t occur naturally on the earth, but it can be found in 65 different minerals. In 2007, 95% of the world’s vanadium came from only three countries—that is, eastern Russia, north-western China, and South Africa—where the element is plentiful.
