ABSTRACT
Vanadium is the parent metal along with niobium and tantalum metals. Vanadium enjoys commercial importance specially by forming alloy as ferrovanadium and its significant role as a catalyst in chemical reactions in the form of V metal and V2O5. The role of oxoanion of vanadium called vanadates occupy importance in solution chemistry. The other two metals of vanadium group viz. niobium and tantalum are useful though in little requirement. Vanadium forms a number of complexes of interest in its lower oxidation states. Atoms are smaller than the titanium group due to poor shielding by d-electrons. The atomic size of Nb and Ta are identical due to lanthanide contraction. Therefore, Nb and Ta occur together, show similar properties and are difficult to separate. Dihalides of vanadium are quite familiar and can be prepared from trihalides hy the action with zinc and acid.
