Elements / 73
73Ta180.95
Tantalum
Transition metal · d-block · ring P · spoke 5
Tantalum is element 73, a transition metal. It sits on ring P (period 6) on spoke 5. Follow that spoke toward the center and out again to find its chemical relatives.
Properties
| Density | 16.7 g/cm³10th densest of 99 | Terrain → |
|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 3,290 K · 3,017 °C4th highest melting point of 97 | Terrain → |
| Boiling point | 5,731 K · 5,458 °C3rd highest boiling point of 96 | Terrain → |
| Electronegativity | 1.50 | Terrain → |
| First ionization energy | 761 kJ/mol | Terrain → |
| Atomic weight | 180.948 u | Terrain → |
| Crustal abundance | 2 ppm | Terrain → |
| Discovered | 1802 | Terrain → |
Values from open reference data; see sources. "Terrain" opens that property as a 3D landscape across the whole spiral.
Two things you might not know
- It has a nuclear isomer whose radioactivity has never been observed, so only a lower limit on its half-life exists.
- Named for a mythic figure denied water just out of reach, as it cannot absorb acid; key to phone capacitors.
Checked against en.wikipedia.org.
Spoke 5
Ring P (period 6)
Play with Tantalum
Watch it fly into its seat, or raise the whole spiral into a landscape and see where it peaks.