The industrial importance of vanadium and its impact on human health

In 1801, Mexican chemist and metallurgist André Manuel del Rio studied lead-containing substances in Mexico, observing an unusual element he believed was a new discovery. After a series of experiments, Del Rio was unable to prove its discovery or identify this new element, and samples were sent to some chemists, including French chemist Hippolyte Victor and German chemist Alexander von Humboldt for this purpose to study and discover the nature of this new metal, but they made the same mistake In the belief that this element is an impure chromium element. This belief continued until 1830, when Swiss chemist Niels Gabriel Seifstrom analyzed samples of iron ore to discover a new and unknown mineral. Choose the vanadium name for this new element.
Vanadium was later discovered to be the same element that Del Rio discovered in lead ores.

Vanadium and its properties:

Vanadium, a white metal, is characterized by its versatility and is used to increase the hardness of steel alloys, this rare chemical element gives a range of color in case of oxidation (black, yellow, tanned, green , red), its physical properties make it an indispensable mineral in many industrial fields, for example, it is added to steel to maintain its hardness at high temperatures for use in the manufacture of motor turbines and drills with heads , as well as many moving parts of machines producing a lot of heat.

• Characteristics:
  One of the most important features of this metal is that it does not oxidize in the air and is considered a good conductor of heat and electricity.
  Atomic mass: 50.9414g.mol -1
  Density: 6.1 g.cm-3 at 20 ° C
  Melting temperature: 1890 ° C
  Boiling temperature: 3380 ° C
  Electronic configuration: [Ar] 3d3 4s2
  First ionization energy: 649.1 kJ.mol -1
  Atomic number: 23

Abundance of vanadium in nature:

Vanadium represents 0.019% of the earth's crust and 150 ppm of its core, it is found in a small number of meteorites and in 65 different minerals such as phosphate ores, carnotite, bossite, vanadinite, it is also found in some crude oils, in soil and in water at different concentrations depending on the geographical location.

Vanadinite/ Source: pixabay
Vanadium is not available at all in the free state, but is always associated with other elements.

• World production:

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Finland, South Africa and the former Soviet Union are countries that contain significant amounts of iron ore containing vanadium. But the main producers of vanadium are Russia, the Czech Republic, the United States of America, South Africa, China and Brazil. In 2017, 80,000 tonnes of vanadium were produced worldwide, of which 43,000 were in China, followed by South Africa with 13,000 tonnes, Russia with 16,000 tonnes and Brazil with 8,400 tonnes.

uses:

Vanadium was used during the First World War to make stronger pieces of armor and artillery. Vanadium is also considered as the essential metal of the automobile.

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Vanadium is used in the following industries:

• The steel industry to make it stronger and resistant to corrosion and shocks.
• Manufacture of cutting tools.
• Manufacture of nuclear reactors and refining of uranium.
• Manufacture of wheel hubs and automotive equipment. It was first used in Ford's T Series steel structure.
• Ceramics industry.
• Vanadium is added to gallium to produce superconducting magnets.
• Manufacture of jet engines.
• Manufacture of rubber, paint and glass.
• Textile industry.
• Production of sulfur.
• Shipbuilding and aviation.

Does vanadium play a role in the biological functioning of the human body?

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Vanadium is a rare and important element of the human body, scientists believe that the body needs it in small amounts to maintain normal bone growth, but the high rate of this element in the body is an indication of health problems.
Vanadium is present in many foods in small quantities: mushrooms, red pepper, oysters, beer, wine, parsley, soy, olive oil, sunflower oil, apples, eggs, etc.
By eating a balanced diet, the body consumes only 0.01 mg of vanadium a day and scientists consider that this amount is largely sufficient for the biological functions of the human body.

• According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, vanadium has the ability to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
  
  Pixabay

The negative impact on human health:

When the body is exposed to high concentrations of vanadium, it results in a negative impact on health.
Workers exposed to vanadium peroxides have been shown to have symptoms of eye and nose irritation, and inhalation of significant amounts of this substance may cause pneumonia.
Other symptoms related to high levels of vanadium in the body are:

• heart diseases.
• Gastroenteritis.
• Bleeding of the liver.
• Paralysis
• weakness.
• Headache.
• behavioral changes.

Références:

Vanadium-V
Introduction-Vanadium
Chapter 6.12 Vanadium
Le vanadium : propriétés, usages et types de gisement