Tantalum Essay, Research Paper

Tantalum, symbol Ta, is a very white, ductile, and malleable metallic element. Tantalum is one of the transition elements of the periodic table. The atomic number of Tantalum is 73. It was first discovered in 1802 by Anders Ekebura of Sweden and then first obtained in pure form in 1820 by the Swedish chemist Baron Jons Jakob Berzelius.

Tantalum is soluble in fused alkalies, insoluble in sulfuric, hydrochloric, and nitric acids, and soluble in hydrofluoric acid. It ignites in air to form tantalum pentoxide, a white infusible substances that combines with metallic oxides or hydroxides to form compounds called tantalites. The element melts at about 2996| C, boils at about 5425| C and has a specific gravity of 16.6. The atomic weight of Tantalum is 180.94.

Tantalum belongs to the group of metals that includes vanadium and niobium. It ranks about 53rd among the elements in natural abundance in the earth’s crust. Principal deposits of the metal occur in Australia and Scandinavia. In the United States, small deposits are found associated with the pegmatite veins of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is usually found combined with niobium and is then separated and converted into a metal through chemical processes. Commercially, Tantalum is prepared by the electrolysis of fused potassium tantaliflouride or of tantalum compounds dissolved in dilute sulfuric acid.

It may be surprising since Tantalum is not often heard of but the element is very useful in everyday products. Because it is more resistant than platinum to many corrosive agents, tantalum has largely replaced platinum is standard weights and in laboratory ware. The largest use of tantalum is for capacitors in electronic circuits and rectifiers in low-voltage circuits, such as railway-signaling systems. It is also used for aircraft and missile parts.

Due to its resistance to be attacked by acids of the human body and its compatibility with body tissue, it is used to pin together broken bones. Tantalum is also used in surgical and dental instruments. The oxide is an ingredient in special optical glass for aerial camera lenses because it increases the refracting (light bending) power of glass.