Definition
The element of vanadium was discovered in 1801 by Andrés Manuel del Río when analyzing a new lead-bearing mineral and was rediscovered again in 1831 by Nils Gabriel Sefström, who named it vanadium after the Scandinavian goddess of beauty and fertility, Vanadis (Freya).
For a long time the biological role of vanadium was not known at all. On the one hand vanadium is a very toxic element for any live organisms. It inhibits some biochemical processes and leads to some serious illnesses, for example cancer. But, on the other hand, vanadium is an essential element for life. Ascidiacea can concentrate vanadium in their blood. Vanadium-reducing bacteria use vanadium oxides as a terminal acceptor of electrons in respiration. Some enzymes, such as haloperoxidases, alternative nitrogenase and nitrate reductase contain vanadium in their active sites. Several species of macrofungi, namely, Amanita muscaria...
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Antipov, A.N. (2013). Vanadium in Live Organisms. In: Kretsinger, R.H., Uversky, V.N., Permyakov, E.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metalloproteins. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_135
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_135
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