The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. In its physical and chemical properties it resembles tantalum , the element below it in group Vb of the periodic table . At normal temperatures it is insoluble in solutions of most acids or alkalies.
Niobium carbide is used in cutting tools.
It occurs in the minerals columbite and tantalite, together with tantalum. Separating niobium and tantalum is difficult. The element was discovered in 1801 by Charles Hatchett and first isolated in 1864 by C. W. Blomstrand. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.