Atomic symbol: Ta
Atomic number: 73
Atomic weight: 180.94788 ± 2
Isotopes and abundances (CIAAW): 180Ta 99.988%, 181Ta, 0.01198%
1 Atm melting point: 3017 °C
1 Atm boiling point: 5458 °C.
Common valences: 5+
Ionic radii: 6-fold: 64 pm
Pauling electronegativity: 1.5
First ionization potential: 761 kJ/mol
Chondritic (CI) abundance: 15 ppb
Silicate earth abundance: 43 ppb
Crustal abundance: 0.7 ppm
Seawater abundance: 0.01 to 0.3 pmol/g
Core abundance: ~0
Properties
Tantalum is a transition metal of low toxicity with the atomic number of 73. Its melting point is 3017 °C, and its boiling point is 5458 °C. Tantalum has two stable isotopes, 180Ta and 181Ta, with an atomic mass of 180.94788 ± 2 (CIAAW, 2015). The small isotope 180Ta only has an abundance of ca. 0.012% (Berglund and Wieser 2011), making it the rarest stable isotope in the solar system. A more precise measurement of natural 180Ta/181Ta (Weyer et al. 2002) yielded isotope abundances of 0.0001198 ± 6 for 180...
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References
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Münker, C. (2016). Tantalum. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_263-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_263-1
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