Wow, the goddess who gave birth to "vanadium" is actually the "MSG" of modern industry?

Among the wide variety of lead-containing minerals, many are classified as unimportant. However, everyone has his or her own use, and it depends on whether they are really used in the right way. For example, the grassroots pyromorphite has been transformed from an unimportant lead-containing mineral into a hot treasure in the hands of mineral crystal collectors. Another lead-containing mineral with hidden goddess attributes cannot be ignored, and that is vanadium lead ore.

Vanadite and pyromorphite specimens in the museum

Both vanadinite and pyrochloreite belong to the apatite family of minerals, and are not outstanding as minerals for extracting lead. Only by releasing its goddess attributes from the seal can its greatest value be brought into play.

Its goddess attribute is called vanadium. Vanadium is a metal element. Its English name Vanadium comes from Vanadís, the alias of the goddess Freya in Norse mythology.

Goddess Vanadis (Picture from the Internet, please delete if infringed)

There is an interesting history behind this name:

In 1801, Spanish mineralogist Del Rio, who was a professor at the Mexican Mining Institute, received a piece of a strange mineral with a brown-red color and short hexagonal crystals. This was the first vanadium-lead ore discovered by humans. It was detected to contain lead and a new element, which he named "full color". To further determine the composition, the professor commissioned the famous German geologist Humboldt at the time to send the specimen to the French chemist Hippolyte Victor, who believed that it was an impure form of chromium. Although mineralogy and chemistry are inseparable, after all, different fields are like different mountains. Del Rio chose to believe the authority and accepted the identification result.

In 1830, Swedish scientist Sefström discovered this element again while smelting pig iron. After repeated verification, he finally determined that this was a new element. Since there was no element name starting with the letter "V" at that time, he named this element after the goddess Vanadis, and compiled the discovery process and the properties of vanadium into a paper. In the same year, German chemist Wöhler confirmed that this element was the same element as the "full color" discovered by Delio. Delio, who missed the goddess, regretted it in his later years. It was more than 30 years later that the metallic form of vanadium was successfully extracted. These are all later stories.

The element symbol of vanadium (picture from the Internet, please delete if infringement)

An element named after a goddess is naturally very beautiful. Its salt solution has rich and beautiful colors, which is why De Rio called it "full color" and why Sefström thought of naming it after the goddess. At the same time, vanadium as a metal is more active in nature, and different valence states and different compounds have beautiful and varied colors.

Different compounds of vanadium have different colors (picture from the Internet, please delete if infringed)

Even if it is sealed in vanadium lead ore, its beauty cannot be hidden. On the contrary, the vanadium lead ore is also beautiful and attractive. Its color is bright, its luster is bright, and its crystal shape is like mechanical parts. It has its own cyberpunk style and has a high ornamental and collection value.

Partial crystal morphology of the vanadium-lead ore specimen in the collection

The practical value of vanadium is also mainly related to machinery. Vanadium was first used in steel manufacturing. Adding a small amount of vanadium to steel can greatly improve the strength of the steel. Later, it was used as a stabilizer and strengthener to improve titanium alloys, making them have good ductility and plasticity. This has greatly promoted the development of the aerospace industry and is known as the "MSG of modern industry." In addition, the various colors of its compounds are also used in many fields such as colored glass and various ink manufacturing.

Aerospace Industry (Pictures from the Internet, please delete if infringed)

The two scholars' different approaches, one of over-trusting authority and the other of being careful about verifying facts, led to different outcomes when the goddess descended. From the perspective of scientific spirit, the two are textbook examples of positive and negative, but in terms of results, no matter who ultimately wins the favor of the goddess, it will play an important role in industrial development.