A metal of high melting point, grayish in color. The melting point is 1890±10℃, among which the 5-valent state is the most stable, followed by the 4-valent state. The ionization energy is 6.74 electron volts. Ductile, hard, non-magnetic. It is resistant to hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid and is more resistant to gas-salt-water corrosion than most stainless steels. Not oxidized in air, soluble in hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid and aqua regia.
It is difficult for vanadium to exist in a single body in nature, and it mainly forms symbiosis ore or composite ore with other minerals. The known reserves of vanadium ore in the world are 60 to 70 million T, among which the former Soviet Union accounts for 60% and South Africa accounts for 20%. There are more than 70 kinds of vanadium minerals found, but the following three kinds of main minerals are found:
(1) Vanadium-titanium magnetite. The vanadium in vanadium-titanium magnetite mainly exists in the form of FeO·V2O3 spinel, and the ore contains vanadium 0.2% ~ 1.5%. Vanadium is extracted from vanadium titanium magnetite in the world except USA.
(2) Potassium-vanadium uranium ore. Potassium-vanadium uranium ore is a complex salt of potassium-uranium vanadate. Its chemical formula is K2O·2UO3·V2O5·1 ~ 3H2O. It is light yellow or light green yellow and contains V2O520.16%. The main source of this mineral is in the United States and elsewhere, where V2O5 can be produced when uranium is extracted.
(3) Oil associated ore. The mineral is a parasite in crude oil, and central American countries have a large number of oil associated minerals. Such resources have become increasingly important.
It is mainly used for manufacturing high speed cutting steel and other alloy steel and catalyst. Vanadium can be made into steel by mixing it into steel. Vanadium steel is more compact than ordinary steel structure and has higher toughness, elasticity and mechanical strength. Vanadium steel armor-piercing bullets can penetrate 40 cm thick steel plates. However, in the iron and steel industry, the pure metal vanadium is not added to the steel to make vanadium steel, but the iron containing vanadium is directly used to make vanadium steel.
