Historical Background
Vanadium (V) Atomic Mass: 50.942 Atomic Number: 23

Historical Background of Vanadium





Who found Vanadium?:
Vanadium was originally discovered by Andrés Manuel del Rio ; then later it was re-discovered by Nils Gabriel Sefstrôm

Where was Vanadium discovered?:
Vanadium was first discovered in Mexico by Andrés Manuel del Rio ; It was re-discovered in Sweden by Nils Gabriel Sefstrôm

When was it discovered?:
The original discovery happened in 1801; Vanadium was re-discovered in 1830

Where did the name come from?:
Vanadium was named Vanadis by Nils Gabriel Sefstrôm after the Scandinavian goddess, Vanadis.

When was Vanadium isolated?:
This element was isolated in 1867 by the British chemist, Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe.

So how was vanadium discovered TWICE? :
In 1801 vanadium was discovered for the first time in Mexico by Andrés Manuel del Rio. Rio studied the new element and sent his findings to a French chemist for confirmation. On the way to France, Rio's findings were lost. When the French chemist received what was left of his findings, he deemed the new element just an impure form of chromium. Once Rio heard what the French said his findings were, Rio quit studying Vanadium. Twenty nine years later, Nils Gabriel Sefstrôm, a Swedish chemist, re-discovered the element. He then named it Vanadis after the Scandinavian goddess, Vanadis.


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This page was created by Tricia Litchfield