Sodium orthovanadate

Sodium orthovanadate is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Na3VO4·2H2O (sodium orthovanadate dihydrate). It is a salt of the VO3−4 oxyanion. It is a colorless, water-soluble solid. Sodium orthovanadate is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Na3VO4·2H2O (sodium orthovanadate dihydrate). It is a salt of the VO3−4 oxyanion. It is a colorless, water-soluble solid. Sodium orthovanadate is produced by dissolving vanadium(V) oxide in a solution of sodium hydroxide: The salt features tetrahedral VO3−4 centers linked to octahedral Na+ sites. Acidification of orthovanadate induces condensation to polyoxovanadates, specifically decavanadate. Vanadates exhibit a variety of biological activities, in part because they serve as structural mimics of phosphates. It acts as a competitive inhibitor of ATPases, alkaline and acid phosphatases, and protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatases, and its inhibitory effects can be reversed by dilution or the addition of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Orthovanadate is activated by boiling and adjusting pH to ~10; this depolymerizes decavanadate into the active inhibitor, monovanadate.