ETYM New Lat. So named on account of the perplexity and difficulty encounterd by its discoverer (Ekeberg) in isolating it. Related to Tantalus.
Hard, ductile, lustrous, gray-white, metallic element, symbol Ta, atomic number 73, atomic weight 180.948. It occurs with niobium in tantalite and other minerals. It can be drawn into wire with a very high melting point and great tenacity, useful for lamp filaments subject to vibration. It is also used in alloys, for corrosion-resistant laboratory apparatus and chemical equipment, as a catalyst in manufacturing synthetic rubber, in tools and instruments, and in rectifiers and capacitors.
It was discovered and named 1802 by Swedish chemist Anders Ekeberg (1767–1813) after the mythological Greek character Tantalus.
A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant; occurs in niobite and fergusonite and tantalite; SYN. Ta, atomic number 73.