Periodic Table

Tantalum

Transition Metal

Quick Facts about Tantalum

Hf
  • solid- state of matter at room temperature
  • Stable- has at least one stable isotope
  • +5- common oxidation states in compounds
  • BCC- crystal structure, atomic arrangement in solid form
W

Tantalum (Ta) is element 73 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Ta: 180.9500 u. Ta is in period 6, group 5. Melting point of Ta: 3290.00 K.Density of Ta: 16.69 g/cm³.

Why Tantalum Matters

Tantalum in everyday life and industry

In Your Home

  • Capacitors in smartphones and laptops use tantalum
  • Surgical implants use tantalum

Industry Uses

MetallurgyJet engine turbine blades contain tantalum superalloys
IndustryChemical processing equipment uses tantalum for corrosion resistance

In Your Body

✗ Not essential

Used for bone repair plates, skull plates, and nerve repair. Creates no immune response or rejection. Tantalum mesh allows bone to grow through it.

Safety: Tantalum is completely inert in the body - the most biocompatible metal

Discovery of Tantalum

Discovered by Anders Ekeberg in Sweden, 1802

Name origin: From king Tantalus of Greek mythology, father of Niobe.

History & Events

1802
Named after Tantalus of Greek mythology, punished to eternally reach for unreachable things
1802
Discovered by Anders Ekeberg in 1802
1866
Confused with niobium for decades until 1866
1802
'Conflict minerals' concerns arose from Congo mining in 2000s

About Tantalum

Dense blue-grey metal, extremely corrosion-resistant due to passive Ta2O5 oxide layer. Ta-181 (99.99%) is the only truly stable isotope. Ta-180m is a primordial nuclear isomer with t1/2 >1015 years—its decay has never been observed. Completely biocompatible—the body's immune system ignores it. Named for Tantalus, who couldn't reach water (tantalum can't 'reach' acids). Discovered 1802 by Ekeberg.

Atomic Properties of Ta

Atomic Number of Ta
73
Atomic Mass of Ta
180.9500 u
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f14 5d3 6s2
Electronegativity
1.50
Block
d-block
Group
5
Period
6

Physical Properties of Ta

Phase (STP)
solid
Melting Point of Ta
3290.00 K
Boiling Point of Ta
5731.00 K
Density of Ta
16.6900 g/cm3

Thermal Properties

Heat of Fusion
24.70 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization
758.00 kJ/mol
Specific Heat
0.14 J/g·K
Molar Heat Capacity
25.36 J/mol·K
Thermal Conductivity
57.50 W/m·K

Atomic Radii

Calculated
145 pm
Covalent
146 pm
Van der Waals
222 pm
Metallic
134 pm

Common Misconceptions

Wrong:Tantalum is inherently a 'conflict mineral' and should be avoided.
Correct:Conflict status depends on sourcing, not the element itself. Most tantalum now comes from certified conflict-free sources in Australia, Brazil, and Rwanda.
Wrong:Tantalum capacitors are outdated technology.
Correct:Ta capacitors remain essential where reliability matters—pacemakers, aerospace, military. Their stability and long life justify the higher cost over ceramics.
Wrong:Tantalum and niobium are basically interchangeable.
Correct:Despite similar chemistry, tantalum is denser, more corrosion-resistant, and far more biocompatible. They were confused for 60 years until 1866.

Isotopes of Tantalum

Tantalum has 2 naturally occurring isotopes, plus 2 notable radioactive isotopes.

IsotopeAtomic Mass (u)AbundanceHalf-LifeDecay Mode
17873Ta (Ta-178)Tantalum-178 isotope177.9457780%9.3 minutesEC
18073Ta (Ta-180)Tantalum-180 isotope179.94746480.0120%——
18173Ta (Ta-181)Tantalum-181 isotope180.947995899.99%——
18373Ta (Ta-183)Tantalum-183 isotope182.951370%5.1 daysβ⁻

Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)

Isotope Applications

Isotopes of Tantalum have important real-world applications in science and industry.

Medical Applications

178Ta (with a half-life of 9.3 min) is used in medical studies, such as first-pass radionuclide angiography of mice, to better understand cardiovascular disease. Radionuclide angiography uses a pinhole lens fitted to a high-speed multiwire proportional camera and a n(178W)/n(178Ta) amount-ratio generator for minimally invasive quantification of murine ventricular (heart) functions (Fig. IUPAC.73.1). The multiwire gamma camera has a 178Ta generator incorporated in its housing, and it provides portable and laboratory ventricular function assessments for cardiovascular patients. Intravenous injections of 178Ta are used in gated equilibrium blood pool imaging. 183Ta (with a half-life of 5.1 days) has potential for use in radionuclide pharmaceuticals and as a tracer for toxicity studies of ecosystems.

Abundance

Earth's Crust
2.0 mg/kg
Seawater
2.00×10-6 mg/L

Uses

Often used as an economical substitute for platinum. Tantalum pentoxide is used in capacitors and in camera lenses to increase refracting power. It and its alloys are corrosion and wear resistant so it is used to make surgical and dental tools.

Sources

Chiefly occurs in the mineral tantalite. Always found with niobium.

Geochemistry

Goldschmidt
litophile
Geochemical Class
high field strength

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