Tantalum was discovered in 1802 by the Swedish chemist Anders Gustaf Ekeberg, who found it in minerals from Finland and Sweden. He named it after Tantalus, the figure in Greek mythology condemned to stand in water he could never drink, because the oxide would not dissolve in acids and so tantalised him. For decades many chemists believed it to be the same as niobium, which is very similar, and the confusion was resolved only in 1844 by Heinrich Rose. The pure metal was first made in 1903. Tantalum is dense, very resistant to corrosion and biologically inert, and it is used in surgical implants, in chemical equipment and, above all, in small capacitors found in mobile phones and computers.
Before and after
- 9 February 1801Treaty of Lunéville
- 8 March 1801Second Battle of Abukir
- from 13 June 1801 to 14 July 1801Algeciras Campaign
- 6 July 1801First Battle of Algeciras
- 1802Discovery of tantalum
- 16 March 1802Construction of United States Military Academy
- 25 March 1802Treaty of Amiens
- 24 July 1802Birth of Alexandre Dumas
- 1803Discovery of rhodium
More in Science & technology
- 1774Discovery of chlorine
- 1789Discovery of uranium
- 1807Discovery of potassium
- 30 June 1808Discovery of boron
- 1810Discovery of fluorine
- 1823Discovery of silicon
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.