Niobium
Transition Metal
Niobium (Nb) is a chemical element with atomic number 41, classified as a transition metal. At room temperature it is a solid. It was discovered in 1801 by Charles Hatchett.
Properties
- Atomic number
- 41
- Atomic mass
- 92.906 u
- Category
- Transition Metal
- Group
- 5
- Period
- 5
- Block
- d-block
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d⁴ 5s¹
- Phase at STP
- Solid
- Density
- 8.57 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 2750 K (2476.8 °C)
- Boiling point
- 5017 K (4743.9 °C)
- Electronegativity
- 1.6
- Atomic radius
- 198 pm
- Ionization energy
- 6.759 eV
- Discovery
- 1801 · Charles Hatchett
Common uses
Superconducting magnets, jet engines, jewelry, MRI machines
Did you know?
Becomes superconducting at low temperatures and strengthens steel.
Experiment with the elements
Niobium doesn't form any compounds in our lab yet, but the periodic table sandbox lets you combine dozens of other real elements into real compounds — water, table salt, ammonia and many more — with their true chemical formulas.