The Vanadium Corporation of America was a commercial producer of
vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pas ...
, a transition metal and a strengthening additive for steel. The company was founded in 1906 by Joseph M. Flannery and was headquartered in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. The company operated several vanadium mines in multiple countries, including
Peru. The raw material was converted into a
ferroalloy
Ferroalloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), or silicon (Si). They are used in the production of steels and alloys. The alloys impart distinctive qualitie ...
at its plant in
Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.
By 1914, it was estimated that 75 percent of the world's vanadium ore production came from the American vanadium mine in
Minas Ragra, Peru, making it one of the largest producers of the element in the world.
In August 1916, James J. Flannery sold the company but remained chairman of the board.
J. Leonard Replogle headed the syndicate that took over the company and became president of the new firm, which retained its original name.
In 1919, the company acquired the Primos Chemical Company.
References
External links
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Science History Institute Digital Collections (Photographs and ephemera documenting the facilities and activities of the Vanadium Corporation of America from 1911 to 1976 freely available for download in a variety of formats).
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*{{cite book, author=Gerald D. Nash, title=The Federal Landscape: An Economic History of the Twentieth-century West, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tsy_zy8cLckC&pg=PT82, year=1999, publisher=University of Arizona Press, isbn=978-0-8165-1988-0, pages=82–
Chemical companies of the United States
Chemical companies established in 1906
Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania
1906 establishments in Pennsylvania