PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PHASE — Solid
STD ATOMIC WEIGHT — 180.94788(2) g-mol -1
MELTING TEMPERATURE — 3290K, 3017C, 5463F
BOILING TEMPERATURE — 5731K, 5458C, 9856F
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE — Body Centered Cubic
ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY — (20 °C) 131 nΩ·m
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY — (300 K) 57.5 W·m−1·K−1
THERMAL EXPANSION — (25 °C) 6.3 µm·m−1·K−1
GENERAL PROPERTIES
SYMBOL — Ta
NUMBER — 73
ELEMENT CATEGORY: — Transition Metals
KEY FACTS
- Discovered in 1802 in Sweden by Anders Ekeberg
- Closely related to niobium
- Density and melting points halfway between Mo and W
- Easily worked at room temperature
- Excellent corrosion resistance, especially in acids, caustics, and glass
MAJOR APPLICATIONS
- Capacitors and capacitor wire
- Barrier layers in semiconductor products
- Nuclear shielding
- Heat exchangers and vessels in the chemical processing industry
COMMON ALLOYS
- Tantalum
- Tantalum 2.5% Tungsten
- Tantalum 7.5% Tungsten
- Tantalum 10% Tungsten
- Tantalum 40% Niobium