Periodic Table

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1HHydrogen 2HeHelium 3LiLithium 4BeBeryllium 5BBoron 6CCarbon 7NNitrogen 8OOxygen 9FFluorine 10NeNeon 11NaSodium 12MgMagnesium 13AlAluminum 14SiSilicon 15PPhosphorus 16SSulfur 17ClChlorine 18ArArgon 19KPotassium 20CaCalcium 21ScScandium 22TiTitanium 23VVanadium 24CrChromium 25MnManganese 26FeIron 27CoCobalt 28NiNickel 29CuCopper 30ZnZinc 31GaGallium 32GeGermanium 33AsArsenic 34SeSelenium 35BrBromine 36KrKrypton 37RbRubidium 38SrStrontium 39YYttrium 40ZrZirconium 41NbNiobium 42MoMolybdenum 43TcTechnetium 44RuRuthenium 45RhRhodium 46PdPalladium 47AgSilver 48CdCadmium 49InIndium 50SnTin 51SbAntimony 52TeTellurium 53IIodine 54XeXenon 55CsCesium 56BaBarium 57LaLanthanum 58CeCerium 59PrPraseodymium 60NdNeodymium 61PmPromethium 62SmSamarium 63EuEuropium 64GdGadolinium 65TbTerbium 66DyDysprosium 67HoHolmium 68ErErbium 69TmThulium 70YbYtterbium 71LuLutetium 72HfHafnium 73TaTantalum 74WTungsten 75ReRhenium 76OsOsmium 77IrIridium 78PtPlatinum 79AuGold 80HgMercury 81TlThallium 82PbLead 83BiBismuth 84PoPolonium 85AtAstatine 86RnRadon 87FrFrancium 88RaRadium 89AcActinium 90ThThorium 91PaProtactinium 92UUranium 93NpNeptunium 94PuPlutonium 95AmAmericium 96CmCurium 97BkBerkelium 98CfCalifornium 99EsEinsteinium 100FmFermium 101MdMendelevium 102NoNobelium 103LrLawrencium 104RfRutherfordium 105DbDubnium 106SgSeaborgium 107BhBohrium 108HsHassium 109MtMeitnerium 110DsDarmstadtium 111RgRoentgenium 112CnCopernicium 113NhNihonium 114FlFlerovium 115McMoscovium 116LvLivermorium 117TsTennessine 118OgOganesson

Tantalum

73Transition metal

mass 180.95 · solid · group 5 · period 6

Alkali metal6

Alkaline earth metal6

Transition metal38

Post-transition metal11

Metalloid7

Nonmetal7

Halogen6

Noble gas7

Lanthanide15

Actinide15

72Hf

73Ta

W74

Atomic number 73

Tantalum

Transition metal

In the real world

Dense gray-blue lustrous metal ingot with a faint bluish sheen on slate. — What it looks likeTantalum is a dense, gray-blue lustrous metal that strongly resists corrosion.

Circuit board with small tantalum capacitors beside a polished implant plate. — Where you'd see itTantalum capacitors pack big storage into tiny phones, and the metal is safe inside surgical implants.

Quick facts

Atomic mass: 180.95
Group: 5
Period: 6
State (STP): solid
Electronegativity: 1.50
Common ox. states: +5

Properties

Electron configuration

[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d³ 6s²

Ionization energy: 761.0 kJ/mol
Electron affinity: 31.0 kJ/mol
Melting point: 3290.00 K (3016.8 °C)
Boiling point: 5731.00 K (5457.9 °C)

How dangerous is it?

0/5 · Safe to handle

So resistant to corrosion that it is used inside the human body for implants. Bulk tantalum is safe to hold and reacts with almost nothing.

How it bonds

Tantalum almost always shows +5 (Ta₂O₅). Extreme corrosion resistance and biocompatibility - used in surgical implants. Most of the world's tantalum capacitors are inside the phone in your pocket.

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