B27 Vanadium(II) as an Oxygen Scavenger

Description
Vanadium (II) solutions stored over zinc amalgam are frequently used to scavenge traces of oxygen from nitrogen before use in an experiment. A gas washing bottle set up to purify nitrogen gas is shown.

Equation
4 V²⁺ + O₂ + 2 H₂O--> 4 V³⁺ + 4 OH^-

2 V³⁺ + Zn --> 2 V²⁺ + Zn²⁺

Reference