An orange, diamagnetic solid, it is the principal cyclopentadienyl carbonyl of vanadium.

It can be prepared by heating a solution of vanadocene under high pressure of carbon monoxide.

[1] As confirmed by X-ray crystallography, the coordination sphere of vanadium consists of η5-cyclopentadienyl and four carbonyl ligands.

Reduction with sodium amalgam gives the dianion of the tricarbonyl: Protonation of this salt gives Cp2V2(CO)5.

[4] Heating a mixture of cycloheptatriene and cyclopentadienylvanadium tetracarbonyl gives (cycloheptatrienyl)(cyclopentadienyl)vanadium ("trovacene").