Niobium vs Vanadium
Niobium and Vanadium are genuine alternatives to one another — a choice somebody actually makes — and differ on 3 measured properties, mohs hardness most clearly.
Niobium vs Vanadium
Niobium
Nb
A metal that superconducts usefully, and that spent a century being confused with tantalum.
Vanadium
V
The addition that made tool steel hold an edge, named after a Norse goddess for the colours of its compounds.
| Property | Niobium | Vanadium |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | 41 higher | 23 |
| Density Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | Not known | 6.11 g/cm³ |
| Melting point Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | Not known | 1887 °C |
| Mohs hardness Mohs hardness is an ordinal scale: values can be ranked, but differences and ratios between them are not meaningful. | about 6 | about 6.7 higher |
| Molar mass | 92.90637 g/mol higher | 50.9415 g/mol |