In this work I present a 23Na/51V-NMR study of sodium vanadate as pure compound, and the influence of very small amounts of Sodium substitution by Calcium and Lithium is reported and discussed. The measurements of spin-lattice relaxation for 23Na and 51V are also presented. The sodium vanadate is found to have a double phase transition. The two transitions are close together and take place around 34 K. Above the transition temperature there is one V site in the mixed oxidation state 4.5+ and there is one Na site. A consistency for a number of un-doped and very slightly doped samples of three vanadium valences is argued, confirming a charge ordering transition at transition temperature, in good qualitative agreement with Bernert’s model and as well in quantitative and qualitative agreement with Sawa’s monoclinic structure. Below the transition temperature sodium is found to have ten sites. The number of the Na site is continuously developed with decreasing the temperature below transition temperature. This continues development of the Na sites demonstrates that the second transition is continues. The detailed spin-lattice relaxation rate for 23Na in both, the pure and the doped samples, in transition region, provided evidence for a non-symmetric and complex transition peak structure which we relate to the onset of more than one transition occurring at slightly different temperatures. This scales with the transition temperature reduction provided by lithium and calcium doping. The two transitions (i.e. dimerization and charge ordering) are intimately related. We investigated the spin-gap by means of Vanadium and Sodium spin-lattice relaxation temperature dependence well below transition temperature. The analysis of the single crystal data reveals a significant anisotropy in the nature of the gap, which is sensitive to Calcium and Lithium doping, indicating that is constrained to the ladder plane.

In this work I present a 23Na/51V-NMR study of sodium vanadate as pure compound, and the influence of very small amounts of Sodium substitution by Calcium and Lithium is reported and discussed. The measurements of spin-lattice relaxation for 23Na and 51V are also presented. The sodium vanadate is found to have a double phase transition. The two transitions are close together and take place around 34 K. Above the transition temperature there is one V site in the mixed oxidation state 4.5+ and there is one Na site. A consistency for a number of un-doped and very slightly doped samples of three vanadium valences is argued, confirming a charge ordering transition at transition temperature, in good qualitative agreement with Bernert’s model and as well in quantitative and qualitative agreement with Sawa’s monoclinic structure. Below the transition temperature sodium is found to have ten sites. The number of the Na site is continuously developed with decreasing the temperature below transition temperature. This continues development of the Na sites demonstrates that the second transition is continues. The detailed spin-lattice relaxation rate for 23Na in both, the pure and the doped samples, in transition region, provided evidence for a non-symmetric and complex transition peak structure which we relate to the onset of more than one transition occurring at slightly different temperatures. This scales with the transition temperature reduction provided by lithium and calcium doping. The two transitions (i.e. dimerization and charge ordering) are intimately related. We investigated the spin-gap by means of Vanadium and Sodium spin-lattice relaxation temperature dependence well below transition temperature. The analysis of the single crystal data reveals a significant anisotropy in the nature of the gap, which is sensitive to Calcium and Lithium doping, indicating that is constrained to the ladder plane.