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Topic: Vanadium/HNO3  (Read 3902 times)

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Offline shiffdaddy

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Vanadium/HNO3
« on: January 09, 2017, 11:36:43 PM »
I'm really into safely making/experimenting with my excess metals from my periodic table of the elements collection. I decided I had enough Vanadium so I wanted to test against the acids (HCl, H2SO4, HNO3) so I set up 3 tests tubes and the only one that reacted with with nitric acid.

The solution was a blue color, into a darker blue with sludge on the top.  Once the powder was completely dry I thought maybe I have vanadium nitrate. The powder was insoluble in water and made sort of an orange stain wherever it touches

any thoughts?

Ben

Offline cutelab

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Re: Vanadium/HNO3
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2017, 11:41:35 AM »
Hey Ben, what is the source of vanadium here?

Offline Enthalpy

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Re: Vanadium/HNO3
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2017, 06:18:20 PM »
My two cents, just to seed the thread:
  • Your observations match Wiki's claims
  • If nitric acid corrodes but others don't, then nitric probably acts as an oxidizer there rather than a plain acid
  • In such a case, the main product wouldn't be a nitrate
  • Its standard electrode potentials don't qualify vanadium as a noble metal. It's said to resist corrosion thanks to its oxide layer. Though, such metals with a good oxide layer tend to withstand nitric acid better than hydrochloric, so the situation is somewhat unexpected.
Wish you get better answers.

Offline Corribus

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Re: Vanadium/HNO3
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2017, 11:29:24 AM »
Vanadium complexes exhibit a variety of colors depending on the oxidation state of the V center. The oxides take on a number of colors, and V2O5 is notably orange.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium%28V%29_oxide

In solution, hydrated vanadium complexes are also variably colored, and the +2 aqua complex is intensely blue.

Be aware, vanadium complexes and salts are mildly toxic, so I hope you are using gloves and other suitable protection. Which of course you should be doing whenever you play around with chemicals.
What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were like a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?  - Richard P. Feynman

Offline shiffdaddy

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Re: Vanadium/HNO3
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2017, 08:10:47 PM »
Thanks for the responses, been busy! Yeah what I was thinking is that I made some sort of vanadium oxide rather than the nitrate.  My vanadium is cheap crap probably, got 100g from a Chinese ebay source and yes i'm quite paranoid about always having gloves and goggles on.  Especially since recently I've been into nickel salts as well which are also quite toxic.

I am wondering if me heat evaporating the nitric acid off has anything to do with its decomposition, maybe if I allowed it to air dry? probably doesn't matter all that much though.

Ben

Offline snorkack

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Re: Vanadium/HNO3
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2017, 03:13:57 AM »
Vanadium(II) is blue, but so is vanadium(IV).
So, the likely candidate might be something like VO(OH)2, oxidizing to VO2OH in air.

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