Niobium has an atomic number of 41 and an atomic weight of 92.9064. The element was discovered by Charles Hatchett in 1801 in a sample of ore sent to England more than a hundred years earlier by the first governor of Connecticut. The metallic element was first prepared in 1864 by Christian Blomstrand of Sweden by reduction of the heated chloride in a stream of hydrogen. Despite the adoption of the name niobium by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the alternative name columbium is still used by metallurgists in the United States. Major niobium producers are Brazil, Canada, Nigeria, and Zaire.
Niobium looks like steel or, when polished, like platinum.
It resists corrosion, is a good shock absorber, and can withstand very high temperatures. Among its many industrial applications niobium in small amounts is used in alloys. The presence of niobium makes hot-pressing dies and cutting tools resistant to shock and wear. Its conductivity makes it useful in electronic devices and superconductive magnets. Niobium is also used in high-strength structural steel.