Tantalum is a rare, hard transition metal that is dark blue-gray in appearance. It is very dense and is a good conductor of heat and electricity. It is unaffected by most acids - except hydrofluoric and hot sulfuric acid. It was discovered in Sweden in 1802 by Anders Ekeberg. Tantalum is naturally occurring, though in very small amounts - around 1-2 ppm of the Earth's crust.
Tantalum's name comes from the Greek
mythological character - Tantalus,
who is best known for his punishment in the Underworld. The majority of the
world's supply of Tantalum is mined in Australia.
Some
of the uses for Tantalum are: (as a metal powder) electronic components,
especially capacitors and high-power resistors, (when alloyed with other
metals) metalworking tools, and surgical implants [Tantalum can form direct
bond to hard tissue] such as hip replacements, and it
is used for some special high refractive glass for cameras. It is also used in
some high-end watches, such as Omega.
Recently,
a tantalum carbide-graphite
composite material was produced at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and
is one of the hardest materials ever synthesized. Similarly, Korean researchers
have developed a tantalum-tungsten-copper
alloy that is more flexible and much stronger than traditional steel
alloys.
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