Niobium Facts
Niobium Facts
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| Interesting Niobium Facts: |
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| In 1801, Charles Hatchett discovered a new element in a sample of the ore columbite, and named it columbium. |
| The ore had first been sent to England in the mid-18th century by the first governor of Connecticut, John Winthrop. |
| Independently, Heinrich Rose discovered in 1846 that tantalum ore included a second element, which he named niobium. |
| Nearly twenty years later, a series of experiments concluded that columbium and niobium were actually the same element. |
| Both names were actually kept in use until 1949, when niobium was chosen as the name for this element. |
| Its atomic symbol then changed from Cb to the currently used Nb. |
| There is only one known stable isotope of niobium, Nb-93. |
| There are a minimum of 32 known radioactive isotopes of niobium. |
| The most stable niobium radioisotope has a half-life of 34.7 million years. |
| The least stable, Nb-113, has a half-life of 30 milliseconds. |
| Niobium didn't have a commercial use until the 1900s. |
| It is used primarily for alloying with other metals. |
| One of the most common niobium alloys is ferroniobium, where it is combined with iron. |
| Niobium alloys also produce a highly-specialized steel that is used to stronger create gas pipelines. |
| The amount of niobium in that steel alloy is only 0.1%, but that small amount improves the structural strength of the steel dramatically. |
| Niobium alloys are also used in rocket and jet engines due to its superior strength at extremely high temperatures. |
| Niobium's superconducting properties make it ideal for use in alloying with tin and titanium to produce superconducting magnets for MRI machines. |
| It also has the largest magnetic penetration depth of any of the known elements. |
| Niobium is even used in jewelry making due to its low level of toxicity. |
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