Name       : Vanadium 
Symbol     : V
Atomic #   : 23
Atom weight: 50.9415
Melting P. : 1890
Boiling P. : 3380
Oxidation  : +2, +3, +4, +5
Pronounced : veh-NAY-di-em
From       : Named for the Scandinavian goddess, Vanadis
Identified : Andres Manuel del Rio in 1801
Appearance : Soft, ductile, silvery-white metal
Note       : About 80% of this metal is alloyed with iron today

[Properties]

  Vanadium is described as a silvery-white or grayish-colored metal. It is
fairly lightweight - somewhat heavier than aluminum, but lighter than iron.
It is malleable and ductile, and resistant to corrosion by moisture, air,
and even most acids and alkalis at room temperature. Its properties become
less desirable at elevated temperatures, however, where vanadium readily
combines with atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen.
  Vanadium has an unusually large number of different oxidation states and
it combines with nearly all nonmetals. These facts account for the large 
number of compounds of vanadium.
  Iron and vanadium work well together and can be alloyed in any desired
proportion. Ferrovanadium, for example, is an alloy of iron and a few other
metals, plus 1% to 6% vanadium.