Element · Layer 0, Atomic number 23

Vanadium

A hard, silvery transition metal added to steel for strength and toughness, and used in large flow batteries.

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About

Vanadium is a hard, silvery-gray metal named after Vanadís, another name for the Norse goddess Freyja, because its compounds come in so many beautiful colors. It is mostly produced in China, Russia and South Africa, often from the slag left over when iron is made from certain ores.

Most vanadium is added to steel. Even a fraction of a percent makes steel much stronger and tougher, which is useful in tools, springs, gears and the reinforcing bars in concrete. Vanadium oxide is the catalyst used to make sulfuric acid, and vanadium flow batteries can store large amounts of electricity for the power grid.

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