Vanadium (V, Element 23) Vanadium, a group 5 transition metal, discovered in 1801 by Andres Manuel del Rio, occurs naturally as a component of vanadinite (Pb5(VO4)3Cl), one of the main industrial ores used as a source of the metal. Over 60 ores are known, with 70-80 thousand tonnes of ore mined globally each year, producing