Tantalum was discovered by Anders Gustaf Ekenberg, a Swedish chemist, in 1802. The name tantalum was derived from the name of the mythological Tantalus, the father of Niobe in Greek mythology.
Name: Tantalum
Symbol: Ta
Atomic number: 73
Atomic weight: 180.95
State: solid
Group, period, block: 5, 6, d
Color: gray blue
Classification: transition metal
Electron configuration: 4f14 5d3 6s2
2,8,18,32,11,2
Physical properties
Density: 16.69 g/cm-3
Melting point: 3290 K, 3017 °C, 5463 °F
Boiling point: 5731 K, 5458 °C, 9856 °F
Atomic properties
Oxidation states: 5, 4, 3, 2, -1
Electronegativity: 1.5 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies: 1st: 761 kJ·mol-1
Covalent radius: 170±8 pm
Van der Waals radius: no data
- Ta
Electron Configuration
Isotopes
There are two naturally occurring isotopes of tantalum exist, 180Ta, and i81Ta.