Rare gray metal with a high melting point.
Tantalum pentoxide is used in capacitors and in camera lenses to increase refracting power.
The early investigators only isolated the impure metal. The first relatively pure ductile tantalum was produced by von Bolton in 1903. Occurence Tantalum occurs principally in the mineral columbite-tantalite. Tantalum ores are found in Australia, Brazil, Mozambique, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, Zaire, and Canada. Separation of tantalum from niobium requires several complicated steps.