Tantalum and Niobium Industry Annual Report 2023
2024-02-20 08:30:15 【Print】
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1. Definition, Type, Distribution, Application
1.1 Definition of Tantalum and Niobium
Tantalum is a tough, ductile metal with the symbol of Ta and Mohs hardness of 6.5. When exposed to air, tantalum forms a very dense oxide layer. Its melting point is 2,996°C, which is only lower than that of tungsten, rhenium and osmium. Tantalum with good ductility property can be drawn into thin foils. Tantalum has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and sees an expansion of only 6.6 ? 10-6 per degree. In addition, the tenacity of the metal is even superior to that of copper.
Tantalum has very excellent chemical properties. It is highly corrosion-resistant and inert to hydrochloric acid, concentrated nitric acid and aqua regia whether in cold or hot conditions. However, it is susceptible to corrosion in hot concentrated sulfuric acid. The corrosion rate of tantalum in concentrated sulfuric acid is negligible under the temperature of 150°C.
Tantalum can react with alkali quickly. Tantalum dissolves quickly in caustic soda solution with the concentrate of 40% at the temperature of 110°C. And it also quickly dissolves in potassium hydroxide solution with the same concentrate at 100°C. Except for the above cases, it is resistant to practically all inorganic salts under 150°C. Studies show that tantalum is inert to alkali solution, chlorine, bromine, dilute sulfuric acid and many other agents, and only reacts with hydrofluoric acid and hot concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature, which is relatively unusual among metals.
1.1 Definition of Tantalum and Niobium
Tantalum is a tough, ductile metal with the symbol of Ta and Mohs hardness of 6.5. When exposed to air, tantalum forms a very dense oxide layer. Its melting point is 2,996°C, which is only lower than that of tungsten, rhenium and osmium. Tantalum with good ductility property can be drawn into thin foils. Tantalum has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and sees an expansion of only 6.6 ? 10-6 per degree. In addition, the tenacity of the metal is even superior to that of copper.
Tantalum has very excellent chemical properties. It is highly corrosion-resistant and inert to hydrochloric acid, concentrated nitric acid and aqua regia whether in cold or hot conditions. However, it is susceptible to corrosion in hot concentrated sulfuric acid. The corrosion rate of tantalum in concentrated sulfuric acid is negligible under the temperature of 150°C.
Tantalum can react with alkali quickly. Tantalum dissolves quickly in caustic soda solution with the concentrate of 40% at the temperature of 110°C. And it also quickly dissolves in potassium hydroxide solution with the same concentrate at 100°C. Except for the above cases, it is resistant to practically all inorganic salts under 150°C. Studies show that tantalum is inert to alkali solution, chlorine, bromine, dilute sulfuric acid and many other agents, and only reacts with hydrofluoric acid and hot concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature, which is relatively unusual among metals.
