Tantalum and Niobium are so similar that it took 45 years after the discovery of the mineral in which both are found to determine that they were two separate elements. In this article, we delve into Tantalum, from the mineral Columbite and the naming of the element to its properties and applications.

Discovery of Tantalum

Tantalum was discovered by the Swedish chemist and mineralogist Anders Gustaf Ekeberg in 1802. However, years later it became clear that he, like his English colleague Charles Hatchett, had not only studied Tantalum but also Niobium. It wasn’t until 1846 that the German chemist Heinrich Rose discovered that, despite the strong similarities, they were two different elements. Fifteen years later, it was diand confirmed by other researchers, and both elements were given their own names.

Tantalum: Name and Periodic Element

The element Tantalum is named after King Tantalus from Greek mythology. As the father of Pelops, Niobe, and Broteas, he fell out of favor with the Greek gods by secretly sacrificing his son Pelops and serving him to the gods to test their omniscience. The gods saw through Tantalus’s deceit, brought his son back to life, and decided to punish Tantalus. For the rest of his life, he was imprisoned in a place where water and fruit were just out of reach.

were achieved.

From the myth of Tantalus comes the expression “tantalizing torment,” which served as the basis for naming the metal Tantalum. Extracting Tantalum is a challenging task due to both its scarcity and the complex isolation process. We denote Tantalum with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73.

Properties of Tantalum

Tantalum is extracted from the black to brown-black mineral Columbite, found in countries such as Canada, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tantalum closely resembles Niobium; both metals are highly corrosion-resistant, biocompatible, and possess very high melting points. Tantalum’s melting point is 2996°C, surpassed only by Tungsten, Rhenium, and Carbon. After thatTantalum is a very ductile, hard, and heavy metal that is easy to work with.

Superior Chemical Corrosion Resistance

A distinctive feature of Tantalum is its corrosion resistance in strong (hot) alkaline solutions such as sulfuric acid. At room temperature, Tantalum is resistant to virtually all chemical acids like sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid, and even at higher temperatures, Tantalum remains highly corrosion-resistant.

Relatively corrosion-resistant metals and alloys like Titanium and Hastelloy corrode quickly in sulfuric acid. However, Tantalum is highly corrosion-resistant even in diluted (less than 10 percent) or heated sulfuric acid. For instance, the corroded thickness of a piece of Tantalum, after one year in concentrated sulfuric acidat 175⁰C only 0.0004 mm. The corrosion resistance gradually decreases when Tantalum is used in fuming sulfuric acid or acids at very high temperatures. The corrosion thickness of a piece of tantalum in fuming sulfuric acid at 130⁰C is 15.6 mm after one year. In 85 percent phosphoric acid at 250⁰C, the corrosion thickness is even 20 mm.

Applications of Tantalum

The excellent chemical corrosion resistance makes Tantalum highly suitable for applications in oil refineries and petrochemical processes. In addition, Tantalum is used in:

  • Jet engines
  • Nuclear installations
  • Electronics
  • Body prosthetics
  • Capacitors

A capacitor is an electricala component that builds up, stores, and discharges electrical charge. Capacitors are used in radar installations, particle accelerators, satellites, lasers, and electric motors, among other applications. Due to its natural properties, the surface of Tantalum offers a dense and stable oxide film with high dielectric strength, making the anodization process of the capacitor precise and easy to control. Additionally, the Tantalum powder in the capacitor provides high capacity, low leakage current, low equivalent series resistance, and long lifespan. Thanks to these properties, Tantalum capacitors are stable, do not change due to environmental variations, and offer high capacity. Tantalum capacitors are also highly suitable as an alternative to ceramic capacitors, for example.d in situations that are not suitable for ceramic capacitors.

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