Vanadium (V)
Vanadium is element 23, a transition metal in group 5, period 4. A neutral atom has 23 protons, 28 neutrons and 23 electrons, 2 of them valence electrons.
Transition metal- Atomic number
- 23
- Atomic mass
- 50.941 u
- Valence electrons
- 2*
- Protons · neutrons
- 23 · 28
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 11, 2
- At room temperature
- solid
Bohr model of vanadium
The Bohr model draws vanadium as a nucleus of 23 protons and 28 neutrons, with its 23 electrons on 4 circular shells: 2 in shell 1, 8 in shell 2, 11 in shell 3, 2 in shell 4. Press Build the atom to watch the shells fill from the inside out. The outer ring (the N shell) is dashed: the electrons there are the ones that take part in chemistry.
Real electrons don't travel in neat circles. They live in fuzzy orbitals, shown below, but the Bohr picture is the quickest way to count shells and valence electrons.
Electron configuration of vanadium
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d³
Short form (noble gas notation): [Ar] 4s² 3d³. The [Ar] stands for the electrons of argon, the noble gas before it.
How many valence electrons does vanadium have?
Vanadium has 2 valence electrons.
Vanadium is a transition metal, so its valence electrons are less clear-cut than for main-group elements. It has 2 electrons in its outermost shell (shell 4), and electrons in its inner d subshell can also take part in bonding.
Protons, neutrons and electrons
| Protons | 23 | equal to the atomic number |
|---|---|---|
| Electrons | 23 | equal to the protons in a neutral atom |
| Neutrons | 28 | mass number 51 − 23 protons |
Atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons (isotopes). The count above uses the rounded atomic mass, the way it's taught in class.
Vanadium properties
| Symbol | V |
|---|---|
| Category | Transition metal |
| Group · period · block | 5 · 4 · d |
| Atomic mass | 50.941 u |
| State at 25 °C | solid |
| Melting point | 2,183 K (1,910 °C, 3,470 °F) |
| Boiling point | 3,680 K (3,410 °C, 6,160 °F) |
| Density | 6 g/cm³ |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.63 |
| Atomic radius | 179 pm |
| First ionization energy | 6.746 eV |
| Electron affinity | 0.525 eV |
| Oxidation states | +5, +4, +3, +2 |
| Common ion charge | +5, +4 |
| Discovered | 1801 by Andrés Manuel del Río |
Where vanadium sits on the periodic table
Group 5: Niobium, Tantalum, Dubnium.
Questions about vanadium
How many valence electrons does vanadium have?
Vanadium has 2 valence electrons in its outer shell; inner d or f electrons can also bond.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does vanadium have?
A neutral vanadium atom has 23 protons and 23 electrons. Its most common form has about 28 neutrons (mass number 51 − 23 protons).
What is the electron configuration of vanadium?
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d³, written in short form as [Ar] 4s² 3d³.
What does the Bohr model of vanadium look like?
A nucleus of 23 protons and 28 neutrons, circled by 4 electron shells holding 2, 8, 11, 2 electrons.
What is the atomic number of vanadium?
23. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, and it is what makes an atom vanadium.