Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were made on aqueous vanadate solutions to characterize speciation as a function of pH and vanadate concentration. Additionally, potentiodynamic polarization measurements were carried out on Al alloy 2024-T3 in 50 mM NaCl solutions in which pH and vanadate concentration were systematically varied. Results showed that inhibition by vanadates occurred mainly in alkaline solutions where tetrahedrally coordinated vanadates, metavanadate and pyro-vanadate, were abundant. Inhibition was not observed in solutions where octahedrally coordinated decavanadates predominated. Anodic inhibition, in the form of increased pitting potential, was observed in both aerated and deaerated solutions. In contrast, cathodic inhibition was observed only in aerated solutions acting primarily through the suppression of oxygen reduction. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy, used to collect chemical maps from aluminum coupons exposed to vanadate solutions, showed the suppression of Al2CuMg particle dissolution compared to vanadate-free solutions. NMR measurements were also used to track changes in vanadate speciation with time, pH adjustment, and with exposure to metallic aluminum surfaces. NMR showed noninhibiting octahedrally coordinated decavanadates rapidly decompose into inhibiting tetrahedrally coordinated metavanadates and pyrovanadates after alkaline pH adjustment. While decomposition begins immediately upon pH adjustment, equilibrium may not be reached even after significant time periods. (c) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.