Tantalum
A corrosion-proof metal vital to compact capacitors.
Inside the Tantalum atom
Switch between Bohr and Quantum Cloud modes to compare a simple teaching model with a more realistic probability-based view, and follow the guided tour to explore the Tantalum atom step by step.
Electron configuration
[Xe] 4f14 5d3 6s2
A neutral Tantalum atom has 73 electrons (equal to its proton count). Choosing a different isotope above changes only the neutron count.
Shell distribution
Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell drives the element's chemistry.
Physical & atomic properties
- State (room temp)
- Solid
- Melting point
- 3290 K (3017 °C)
- Boiling point
- 5731 K (5458 °C)
- Density
- 16.654 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 1.5 Pauling
- Atomic radius
- 145 pm
- 1st ionization energy
- 761 kJ/mol
- Category
- Transition metals
Discovery & naming
- Discovered
- 1802
- Discovered by
- Anders Gustaf Ekeberg
- Origin of name
- Tantalus of Greek mythology.
Notable uses
Compact electronic capacitors and surgical implants.
Where Tantalum comes from
Several comparable sources
Both slow neutron capture in dying stars and rapid capture in explosive events contribute meaningfully.
Simplified origin map — many elements form through more than one astrophysical pathway.
Summary
- Atomic number
- 73
- Atomic mass
- 180.95
- Category
- Transition metals
- Group · Period
- 5 · 6
- Block
- d-block
- Shells
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 11 · 2