---
title: "Tantalum (Ta) — element 73"
description: "Tantalum is element 73, symbol Ta, atomic weight 180.95. Configuration, properties, uses and neighbours."
url: https://atoneplace.net/element/tantalum/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Tantalum (Ta)

**Tantalum — element 73: Ta**

180.95 u · Transition metal · period 6, group 5

Tantalum capacitors pack more capacitance into less space than almost anything else and barely drift with age or temperature, which is why they are still specified for anything that has to keep working — implanted defibrillators, avionics, hearing aids. The metal is so unreactive that the body does not attack it, so tantalum plates have been used to repair skulls since the 1940s. Named after Tantalus, condemned to stand in water he could not drink: the oxide will not absorb acid no matter how long it stands in it.

## Properties

- **Atomic number:** 73
- **Symbol:** Ta
- **Standard atomic weight:** 180.95 u
- **Category:** Transition metal
- **Group:** 5
- **Period:** 6
- **Block:** d-block
- **Electron configuration:** [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d³
- **Electrons per shell:** 2, 8, 18, 32, 11, 2
- **Melting point:** 3,290 K — 3016.8 °C — 5462.3 °F
- **Boiling point:** 5,731 K — 5457.9 °C — 9856.1 °F
- **Density:** 16.4 g/cm³
- **Electronegativity:** 1.5 (Pauling)
- **Oxidation states:** +5
- **Discovered:** 1802 by Anders Gustaf Ekeberg

## Electron configuration

- **Full:** 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d³
- **Noble gas shorthand:** [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d³
- **Shells:** K: 2 · L: 8 · M: 18 · N: 32 · O: 11 · P: 2

## What it is used for

- Tantalum capacitors in phones, laptops and hearing aids
- Surgical implants, plates and sutures
- Chemical plant linings for hot concentrated acids
- Carbide cutting tool additives
- Vacuum furnace parts and rocket nozzles

> Most tantalum comes from coltan ore, some of it mined in eastern Congo under conditions that made it one of the original "conflict minerals" named in US disclosure rules.

## Neighbours in the table

| Z | Element | Symbol | Mass |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 71 | Lutetium | Lu | 174.97 |
| 72 | Hafnium | Hf | 178.49 |
| 73 | Tantalum ← | Ta | 180.95 |
| 74 | Tungsten | W | 183.84 |
| 75 | Rhenium | Re | 186.21 |

## Group 5

Elements in the same group share their outer electron count, which is why they behave similarly in reactions. Tantalum sits in group 5 with vanadium, niobium, dubnium.

## Common questions

### What is the atomic number of tantalum?

73. That is the number of protons in its nucleus, which is what defines the element.

### What is the symbol for tantalum?

Ta.

### What is the electron configuration of tantalum?

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d³, or [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d³ in noble-gas shorthand.

### What is the melting point of tantalum?

3,290 K — 3016.8 °C — 5462.3 °F

## Related pages

- [Lutetium (Lu)](https://atoneplace.net/element/lutetium/)
- [Hafnium (Hf)](https://atoneplace.net/element/hafnium/)
- [Tungsten (W)](https://atoneplace.net/element/tungsten/)
- [Rhenium (Re)](https://atoneplace.net/element/rhenium/)
- [Vanadium (V)](https://atoneplace.net/element/vanadium/)
- [Niobium (Nb)](https://atoneplace.net/element/niobium/)
- [Dubnium (Db)](https://atoneplace.net/element/dubnium/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)