Phase transition in V3O5

A phase transition at 420°K previously unreported, has been discovered in V₃O₅. The transition is characterized by an endothermic DTA peak on heating and an abrupt change in the electrical resistivity at the same temperature. Results from X-ray analysis of the V₃O₅ samples exhibiting the transition agree very well with the values reported by Andersson (1). Powder diffraction analysis of the high temperature phase indicates that there is a small change in the cell volume but the crystal apparently conserves its symmetry through the transition.