what is niobium found in
| references | in Wikidata. Niobium, formerly columbium, is a chemical element with symbol Nb (formerly Cb) and atomic number 41. It is a soft, grey, ductile transition metal, which is often found in the pyrochlore mineral, the main commercial source for niobium, and columbite. Its name comes from Greek mythology, specifically Niobe, who was the daughter of Tantalus, the namesake of tantalum.