Tantalum (Ta)

Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Anders Gustaf Ekeberg discovered tantalum in 1802 in Sweden, naming it after Tantalus because its oxide would not absorb acid.
• The metal melts at 3,017 degrees Celsius, resists nearly all acids including aqua regia at moderate temperature, and is biocompatible.
• Compact tantalum capacitors are ubiquitous in smartphones and laptops, and the metal is used in surgical implants.

Specifications & Metrics

• NUM: 73
• SYMBOL: Ta
• CATEGORY: Transition Metal
• ATOMIC MASS: 180.9479 u
• ELECTRONEGATIVITY: 1.5 Pauling
• ATOMIC RADIUS: 217 pm
• IONIZATION ENERGY: 7.89 eV
• ELECTRON AFFINITY: 0.322 eV
• MELTING POINT: 3290 K
• BOILING POINT: 5731 K
• DENSITY: 16.4 g/cm³
• ELECTRON CONFIGURATION: [Xe]6s2 4f14 5d3
• OXIDATION STATES: +5
• STANDARD STATE: Solid
• GROUP BLOCK: Transition metal
• YEAR DISCOVERED: 1802