Where can you get tantalum? Eagle Alloys can meet your tantalum needs– as a supplier, Eagle Alloys is a leading global supplier of tantalum available in various forms.
Tantalum is a chemical element that’s bright and very hard. It’s a silver-gray metal known for its high density, high melting point and resistance to acids (except hydrofluoric at ordinary temps).
The History of Tantalum
First discovered in 1802 by a Swedish chemist named Anders Gustaf Ekeberg, tantalum was named after the mythological character Tantalus because of the tantalizing problem of dissolving the oxide in acids. In the 1800s, tantalum was closely associated with niobium (because of chemical similarity). In the early 1900s, a Russian chemist named Werner Bolton was able to prepare the first ductile tantalum. This was used as incandescent lamp-filament material, but only for a brief time.
Why Tantalum is Rare
Is tantalum rare? Yes, it’s relatively rare. It generally occurs with niobium in the columbite-tantalite series and the pyrochlore-microlite series of minerals. It can be found in parts of Russia and Asia– but it’s Rwanda, in Africa, where the most tantalum is extracted.
Common Uses for Tantalum
What’s tantalum used for? Electrolytic capacitors, corrosion-resistant chemical equipment, electron tubes, rectifiers and prosthetic devices are some places where you’ll likely find it used. It’s popular in the electronics and medical industries. For example, some dental and surgical instruments contain it. Tantalum is biocompatible and doesn’t trigger an immune response. It can also be useful in the aerospace and defense industries.
Eagle Alloys is a leading global supplier of commercially pure tantalum (Ta), medical grade tantalum and tantalum alloys Ta2.5%W, Ta7.5%W, Ta10%W, Ta40% in foil, strip, sheet, plate, wire, rod, bar, blanks, pipe, tubing, fittings or crucibles as well as semi-finished and finished parts, custom sizes and custom grades.
Tantalum is available in several types: powder metallurgical, electron beam furnace and vacuum-arc melted.
For more info, call Eagle Alloys at 800-237-9012.
