Vanadium pentoxide technical is produced as a black powder that's used to produce metallic vanadium and ferrovanadium.
Vanadium ore or vanadium-rich residue is treated with sodium carbonate and an ammonium salt to produce sodium metavanadate, NaVO3.This material is then acidified to pH 2–3 with H2SO4, producing a precipitate called "red cake."
Then, the red cake is melted at 690 °C to produce crude V2O5.Vanadium pentoxide is formed by heating vanadium metal with excess oxygen, but this product is contaminated with other, lower oxides.
