Tantalum
Transition Metal
Tantalum (Ta) is a chemical element with atomic number 73, classified as a transition metal. At room temperature it is a solid. It was discovered in 1802 by Anders Gustaf Ekeberg.
Properties
- Atomic number
- 73
- Atomic mass
- 180.95 u
- Category
- Transition Metal
- Group
- 5
- Period
- 6
- Block
- d-block
- Electron configuration
- [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d³ 6s²
- Phase at STP
- Solid
- Density
- 16.654 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 3290 K (3016.8 °C)
- Boiling point
- 5731 K (5457.9 °C)
- Electronegativity
- 1.5
- Atomic radius
- 200 pm
- Ionization energy
- 7.55 eV
- Discovery
- 1802 · Anders Gustaf Ekeberg
Common uses
Electronics, medical implants, aerospace, capacitors
Did you know?
Extremely corrosion-resistant and used in medical implants.
Experiment with the elements
Tantalum 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.