Tantalum Ta

Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant. It is part of the refractory metals group, which are widely used as minor components in alloys. Also, it is highly ductile at high temperatures, very hard, and has excellent thermal and electrical conductor properties. Its melting point of 2,996°C is the fourth highest of all metals. The chemical inertness of tantalum makes it a valuable substance for laboratory equipment and a substitute for platinum, but its main use today is in tantalum capacitors in electronic equipment such as mobile phones, DVD players, video game systems, and computers.