73
Ta
180.948
Tantalum
Transition Metal
Group 5
Period 6
Block d
Tantalum is a chemical element of the periodic table with chemical symbol Ta and atomic number 73 with an atomic weight of 180.948 u and is classed as transition metal and is part of group 5 (vanadium group). Tantalum is solid at room temperature.
Tantalum in the periodic table
| Symbol | Ta |
| Atomic number | 73 |
| Group | 5 (Vanadium group) |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | d |
| Classification | Transition Metal |
| Appearance | Gray blue |
| Color | Gray |
| Number of protons | 73 p+ |
| Number of neutrons | 108 n0 |
| Number of electrons | 73 e- |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTantalum is a chemical element with symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as tantalium, its name comes from Tantalus, an antihero from Greek mythology. Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant.
Physical properties
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Density | 16.69 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 180.948 u |
Thermal properties
| Melting point | 3290 K 3016.85 °C 5462.33 °F |
| Boiling point | 5731 K 5457.85 °C 9856.13 °F |
| Heat of vaporization | 737 kJ/mol |
Atomic properties
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 1.5 |
| Electron affinity | 31 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | −3, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5 (a mildly acidic oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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Electron configuration for tantalum
Electron configuration Shorthand configuration | [Xe] 4f14 5d3 6s2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d3 6s2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electron configuration chart |
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| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 11, 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outer shell electrons | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valence electrons (incl. d) | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valency electrons | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bohr model | Figure: Shell diagram of Tantalum (Ta) atom. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Orbital Diagram
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The history of Tantalum
| Discovery | Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (1802) |
| First isolation | Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac (1864) |
| Recognized as a distinct element by | Heinrich Rose (1844) |
Discovery of tantalum Tantalum was discovered in Sweden in 1802 by Anders Ekeberg, in two mineral samples – one from Sweden and the other from Finland. One year earlier, Charles Hatchett had discovered columbium (now niobium), and in 1809 the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston compared its oxide, columbite with a density of 5.918 g/cm3, to that of tantalum, tantalite with a density of 7.935 g/cm3. He concluded that the two oxides, despite their difference in measured density, were identical and kept the name tantalum. After Friedrich Wöhler confirmed these results, it was thought that columbium and tantalum were the same element. This conclusion was disputed in 1846 by the German chemist Heinrich Rose, who argued that there were two additional elements in the tantalite sample, and he named them after the children of Tantalus: niobium (from Niobe, the goddess of tears), and pelopium (from Pelops). The supposed element "pelopium" was later identified as a mixture of tantalum and niobium, and it was found that the niobium was identical to the columbium already discovered in 1801 by Hatchett. | |
| Original word | Tantalos |
| Language of origin | Greek |
| Name source | Mythology |
| Meaning | “Tantalus” |
Naming The name is derived from Tantalus of Greek mythology, who was tormented by water and fruit just out of reach, a reference to tantalum's resistance to dissolving in acid. | |