Vanadium is a chemical element with symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery grey, 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.
It belongs to group 5 of the periodic table having trivial name .
Vanadium Facts
Read key information and facts about element Vanadium
Name | Vanadium |
Atomic Number | 23 |
Atomic Symbol | V |
Atomic Weight | 50.9415 |
Phase | Solid |
Color | Silver |
Appearance | blue-silver-grey metal |
Classification | Transition Metal |
Group in Periodic Table | 5 |
Group Name | vanadium family |
Period in Periodic Table | period 4 |
Block in Periodic Table | d -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Ar] 3d3 4s2 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 11, 2 |
Melting Point | 2183 K |
Boiling Point | 3680 K |
CAS Number | CAS7440-62-2 |
How to Locate Vanadium on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 23 to find Vanadium on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Vanadium on periodic table look for cross section of group 5 and period 4 in the modern periodic table.
Vanadium History
The element Vanadium was discovered by M. del Río in year 1801 in Mexico and Sweden. Vanadium was first isolated by N.G.Sefström in 1830. Vanadium derived its name from Vanadis, an Old Norse name for the Scandinavian goddess Freyja.
Río found the metal in vanadinite but retracted the claim after Hippolyte Victor Collet-Descotilsdisputed it. Sefström isolated and named it, and later it was shown that Río had been right in the first place.
Vanadium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Vanadium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | 1000 | 20 |
Abundance in Sun | 400 | 9 |
Abundance in Meteorites | 62000 | 23000 |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | 190000 | 75000 |
Abundance in Oceans | 1.5 | 0.18 |
Abundance in Humans | 30 | 4 |
Crystal Structure of Vanadium
The solid state structure of Vanadium is Body Centered Cubic.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
303 pm | 303 pm | 303 pm |
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
π/2 | π/2 | π/2 |
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | Im_ 3m |
Space Group Number | 229 |
Crystal Structure | Body Centered Cubic |
Number of atoms per unit cell | 2 |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Vanadium Atomic and Orbital Properties
Vanadium atoms have 23 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 11, 2] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 4F3/2.
Atomic Number | 23 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 23 |
Number of Protons | 23 |
Mass Number | 51 |
Number of Neutrons | 28 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 11, 2 |
Electron Configuration | [Ar] 3d3 4s2 |
Valence Electrons | 3d3 4s2 |
Valence (Valency) | 5 |
Main Oxidation States | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Oxidation States | -3, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 4F3/2 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Vanadium - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Vanadium - neutral Vanadium atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Vanadium
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Vanadium atom is [Ar] 3d3 4s2. The portion of Vanadium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Ar]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 3d3 4s2, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Vanadium
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Vanadium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d3 4s2
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Vanadium
Vanadium atomic radius is 171 pm, while it's covalent radius is 125 pm.
Atomic Radius Calculated | 171 pm (1.71 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | 135 pm (1.35 Å) |
Atomic Volume | 8.3374 cm3/mol |
Covalent Radius | 125 pm (1.25 Å) |
Van der Waals Radius | - |
Neutron Cross Section | 5.06 |
Neutron Mass Absorption | 0.0033 |
Atomic Spectrum of Vanadium
Vanadium Chemical Properties: Vanadium Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Vanadium is 50.6 kJ/mol.
Valence | 5 |
Electronegativity | 1.63 |
ElectronAffinity | 50.6 kJ/mol |
Ionization Energy of Vanadium
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Vanadium
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 650.9 |
2nd | 1414 |
3rd | 2830 |
4th | 4507 |
5th | 6298.7 |
6th | 12363 |
7th | 14530 |
8th | 16730 |
9th | 19860 |
10th | 22240 |
11th | 24670 |
12th | 29730 |
13th | 32446 |
14th | 86450 |
15th | 94170 |
16th | 102300 |
17th | 112700 |
18th | 121600 |
19th | 130700 |
20th | 143400 |
21st | 151440 |
22nd | 661050 |
23rd | 699144 |
Vanadium Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Vanadium Physical Properties
Density | 6.11 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $5.5 g/cm3) |
Molar Volume | 8.3374 cm3/mol |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | 128 |
Shear Modulus | 47 GPa |
Bulk Modulus | 160 GPa |
Poisson Ratio | 0.37 |
Hardness of Vanadium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | 7 MPa |
Vickers Hardness | 628 MPa |
Brinell Hardness | 628 MPa |
Vanadium Electrical Properties
Vanadium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofVanadium
Electrical Conductivity | 5000000 S/m |
Resistivity | 2e-7 m Ω |
Superconducting Point | 5.4 |
Vanadium Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | 31 W/(m K) |
Thermal Expansion | 0.0000084 /K |
Vanadium Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | Paramagnetic |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | 6.28e-8 m3/kg |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | 3.199e-9 m3/mol |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | 0.0003837 |
Optical Properties of Vanadium
Refractive Index | - |
Acoustic Properties of Vanadium
Speed of Sound | 4560 m/s |
Vanadium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Vanadium
Melting Point | 2183 K (1909.85°C, 3469.7299999999996 °F) |
Boiling Point | 3680 K (3406.85°C, 6164.33 °F) |
Critical Temperature | - |
Superconducting Point | 5.4 |
Enthalpies of Vanadium
Heat of Fusion | 22.8 kJ/mol |
Heat of Vaporization | 453 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Vanadium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Vanadium
Vanadium has 26 isotopes, with between 40 and 65 nucleons. Vanadium has 1 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Vanadium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: 51V.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
40V | 23 | 17 | 40 | Synthetic | ||
41V | 23 | 18 | 41 | Synthetic | ||
42V | 23 | 19 | 42 | Synthetic | ||
43V | 23 | 20 | 43 | Synthetic | ||
44V | 23 | 21 | 44 | Synthetic | ||
45V | 23 | 22 | 45 | Synthetic | ||
46V | 23 | 23 | 46 | Synthetic | ||
47V | 23 | 24 | 47 | Synthetic | ||
48V | 23 | 25 | 48 | Synthetic | ||
49V | 23 | 26 | 49 | Synthetic | ||
50V | 23 | 27 | 50 | 0.25% | Stable | N/A |
51V | 23 | 28 | 51 | 99.75% | Stable | |
52V | 23 | 29 | 52 | Synthetic | ||
53V | 23 | 30 | 53 | Synthetic | ||
54V | 23 | 31 | 54 | Synthetic | ||
55V | 23 | 32 | 55 | Synthetic | ||
56V | 23 | 33 | 56 | Synthetic | ||
57V | 23 | 34 | 57 | Synthetic | ||
58V | 23 | 35 | 58 | Synthetic | ||
59V | 23 | 36 | 59 | Synthetic | ||
60V | 23 | 37 | 60 | Synthetic | ||
61V | 23 | 38 | 61 | Synthetic | ||
62V | 23 | 39 | 62 | Synthetic | ||
63V | 23 | 40 | 63 | Synthetic | ||
64V | 23 | 41 | 64 | Synthetic | ||
65V | 23 | 42 | 65 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-62-2 |
RTECS Number | - |
CID Number | CID23990 |
Gmelin Number | - |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Vanadium with other elements
Compare Vanadium with all Group 5 elements
Compare Vanadium with all Period 4 elements
Compare Vanadium with all Transition Metal elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Vanadium?
The electronic configuration of Vanadium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d3 4s2.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Vanadium?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Vanadium is [Ar] 3d3 4s2. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Vanadium?
Symbol of Vanadium is V. Vanadium is a chemical element with symbol V and atomic number 23.
What is the position of Vanadium in the Periodic Table?
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. Vanadium is the 23 element on the periodic table. It is located in group 5 and period 4 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Vanadium?
The atomic number of Vanadium is 23.
What is the color of Vanadium?
Vanadium is of Silver color.
Who discovered Vanadium?
The element Vanadium was discovered by M. del Río in year 1801 in Mexico and Sweden. Vanadium was first isolated by N.G.Sefström in 1830.
How many valence electrons does a Vanadium atom have?
Vanadium has 5 valence electrons. Vanadium has 23 electrons out of which 5 valence electrons are present in the 3d3 4s2 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Vanadium?
Melting Point of Vanadium is 2183 K.
What is the boiling Point of Vanadium?
Boiling Point of Vanadium is 3680 K.
What is the melting Point of Vanadium in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Vanadium in Kelvin is 2183 K.
What is the boiling Point of Vanadium in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Vanadium in Kelvin is 3680 K.
What is the electronic configuration of Vanadium 23?
The electronic configuration of Vanadium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d3 4s2.
How do you write the electron configuration for Vanadium?
The electronic configuration of Vanadium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d3 4s2.