Tantalum is represented by a symbol ta with the atomic number 73. The element is light blue-gray, a solid transition metal that is rare in the earth’s crust. Tantalum was formerly called Tantalus, which came from Tantalus, one of the many heroes of Greek mythology.
There is a lot of interesting information about tantalum, but we will start with 10 stories of rapid absorption.
- Anders Eckberg discovered tantalum in 1802 in Sweden. However, a lot of confusion has been associated with this metal and this one has been analyzed several times. The most famous examples are those where it was thought that it was a Colombium, which Heinrich Rose was mistaken and considered as Neopio. These problems only subsided after 1864, when Christian William Bloemstrand, Louis Jiro Troust and Henri Etienne Saint-Clair Deville revealed definitive differences (this time between niobium and tantalum), making Tantalus a special element.
- Tantalum appeared in the metal for the first time in 1864 when De Mariniac discovered that it could heat tantalum chloride in a hydrogen atmosphere to reduce it. In 1903, Werner von Bolton produced the first tantalum of pure metal.
- Tantalum is very difficult, dense, easy to transport and easy to manufacture. It is also a superconductor and a thermal conductor.
- Tantalum is known for its resistance to acid corrosion. At temperatures below 150 ° C, tantalum is almost insensitive to water sports. However, they can be broken down into acidic solutions with sulfur dioxide and fluoride ions.
- Tantalum is estimated to be present in the earth’s crust in an amount of 1 to 2 ppm. Although there are many types of tantalum minerals, only a few are used as raw materials. These minerals are: Euxenita, Microlita, Policrasa, Tantalita and Wodginita.
- The largest current product of tantalum is Australia. Global Advanced Metals, formerly Talison Minerals, currently operates two mines in Western Australia.
- The other producers of tantalum are Brazil, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Mozambique and Thailand. However, other sources of tantalum are currently under investigation. Many of these new sources are located in the same countries as the current mining areas, such as Australia, Brazil, China and Mozambique, but many other countries are undergoing extensive study, including Canada , Egypt, Finland, Greenland, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Offers for.
- Tantalum is mainly used for the manufacture of electronic components. However, it is also used in the manufacture of many alloys and superalloys.
- Tantalum oxide is also used in the manufacture of high index glass for the manufacture of camera lenses. In addition, it can be used in some parts of the vacuum chamber because of its resistance to oxidation and its high melting point.
- Tantalum is biocompatible and used in the manufacture of coatings and implants. There is an indication that tantalum is related to the formation of local tumors, but this study suggests that this study does not suggest that tantalum is a carcinogen.
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