The naming of chemical elements often connects scientific discovery with cultural history. While many elements are named for locations or scientists, a distinct group owes its name to ancient folklore and mythology. This tradition links the fundamental building blocks of matter to the human imagination, resulting in elements named after planets, Roman gods, and figures from Norse mythology.
The Element and Its Divine Origin
The element derived from a Norse deity is Vanadium (V, atomic number 23). This soft, silvery-gray transition metal is named after Vanadís, an alternate name for the Norse goddess Freyja. Freyja is associated with love, beauty, and fertility.
The connection to a goddess of beauty is rooted in the element’s distinct chemical properties. Vanadium forms compounds that display a remarkable range of vibrant colors when dissolved in solution. As its oxidation state changes, the colors shift through blue, green, yellow, and violet, leading the discoverer to choose the name Vanadium to honor the goddess of beauty.
Discovery and Naming History
The history of Vanadium’s discovery is complex, involving two separate findings decades apart. The element was first isolated in 1801 by Spanish-Mexican mineralogist Andrés Manuel del Río near Hidalgo, Mexico. Del Río initially called the element panchromium, meaning “all colors,” and later renamed it erythronium after noticing that its salts turned red when heated.
Unfortunately, del Río retracted his claim after being convinced by a French chemist that his sample was merely impure chromium. The element was definitively rediscovered in 1830 by Swedish chemist Nils Gabriel Sefström while analyzing a sample of iron ore. Sefström proved he had isolated a new element and, recognizing the beautiful, striking colors of its compounds, decided to name it Vanadium after Vanadís.
Later that same year, German chemist Friedrich Wöhler confirmed that Sefström’s Vanadium was identical to the element del Río had found three decades earlier. The mineral from which del Río first extracted the element was ultimately named vanadinite, preserving the mythological name in the geologic record.
Key Applications of the Element
Vanadium’s primary industrial use is focused on enhancing the structural integrity of steel. Approximately 80% of the Vanadium produced worldwide is used as a ferrovanadium alloy to create specialized, high-strength steel. Adding a small amount of Vanadium, often less than 1%, significantly increases the tensile strength, toughness, and shock resistance of the resulting alloy.
Structural Alloys
This exceptional strength-to-weight ratio makes vanadium steel highly sought after for demanding applications. These include high-speed tool manufacturing, axles, pistons in vehicle engines, and the fabrication of armor plate. Vanadium is also a component in titanium alloys, such as Ti-6Al-4V, used extensively in the aerospace industry. These alloys are valued for their lightness and stability at high temperatures in jet engine components and airframe structures.
Energy Storage and Catalysis
A rapidly growing application is in large-scale energy storage systems known as Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFBs). These batteries use the element’s ability to exist in multiple oxidation states to store chemical energy in liquid electrolyte tanks. VRFBs are valued for their long lifespan, deep discharge capability, and scalability. This makes them suitable for storing electricity from intermittent sources like wind and solar power plants. Vanadium compounds, particularly vanadium pentoxide (\(V_2O_5\)), also act as a catalyst in the production of sulfuric acid.