Tantalum

Atomic number

73

Atomic mass (u)

180.9479

Category

Transition metal

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

3016.85 °C (3290 K)

Boiling point

5457.85 °C (5731 K)

Density (g/cm³)

16.4

Electronegativity (Pauling)

1.5

Electron configuration

[Xe]6s2 4f14 5d3

Oxidation states

+5

Atomic radius (pm)

217

First ionization energy (eV)

7.89

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1802

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Anders Gustav Ekeberg

Date or period recorded by RSC

1802

Discovery place

Uppsala, Sweden

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Tantalum is sometimes, but only rarely, found uncombined in nature.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.