The 73rd Element of the Periodic Table By Kennedy Jette Tantalum The 73rd Element of the Periodic Table By Kennedy Jette
What is tantalum? A gray-silver metal in the Periodic table It was discovered in 1802 by Anders Gestaf Ekenberg, in Yttersby, Sweden Many scientists believed that Ekenberg had only found Niobium, not Tantalum (an element very similar to Tantalum) The issue was resolved in 1866 when the Suisse chemist Jean Charles discovered that Tantalum and Niobium were actually two completely different elements
Are they really the same? Tantalum Niobium
Interesting Facts Excellent heat and wear tolerance Very dense element Resistant to corroding Used in surgical tools because your immune system doesn’t have any reactions to that type of metal Used in alloys (for strength and durability Found in many types of electronics (mobile phones, industrial, etc)
Sites for images http://www.periodictable.com/Elements/073/index.html http://www.theodoregray.com/Periodictable/Elements/041/index.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum_capacitor www.tel10102eflexsurgicalcatalog.com/surgical/weck/products/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum