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Tantalum is a chemical element; it has symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as tantalium, [citation needed] it is named after Tantalus, a figure in Greek mythology. [11] Tantalum is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant.
In humans, heavy metal poisoning is generally treated by the administration of chelating agents. [71] These are chemical compounds, such as CaNa 2 EDTA (calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate) that convert heavy metals to chemically inert forms that can be excreted without further interaction with the body.
Soil contains on average 1 to 2 parts per billion of tantalum, and seawater contains 2 parts per trillion of tantalum. A typical human contains 2.9 parts per billion of tantalum. Tantalum is found in the minerals tantalite and pyrochlore. [19] Dubnium does not occur naturally in the Earth's crust, as it has no stable isotopes. [78]
The mineral group tantalite [(Fe, Mn)Ta 2 O 6] is the primary source of the chemical element tantalum, a corrosion (heat and acid) resistant metal.It is chemically similar to columbite, and the two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called coltan or "columbite-tantalite" in many mineral guides.
Natural tantalum (73 Ta) consists of two stable isotopes: 181 Ta (99.988%) and 180m Ta (0.012%). There are also 35 known artificial radioisotopes, the longest-lived of which are 179 Ta with a half-life of 1.82 years, 182 Ta with a half-life of 114.43 days, 183 Ta with a half-life of 5.1 days, and 177 Ta with a half-life of 56.56 hours.
In Canada, Tanco Mine near Bernic Lake in Manitoba has tantalum reserves, is the world's largest producer of caesium, and is operated by Global Advanced Metals Pty Ltd. A discussion of Canadian mining by Natural Resources Canada, updated in 2017, does not mention either coltan or tantalum. [12]
Tantalum ores often contain significant amounts of niobium, which is itself a valuable metal.As such, both metals are extracted so that they may be sold. The overall process is one of hydrometallurgy and begins with a leaching step; in which the ore is treated with hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid to produce water-soluble hydrogen fluorides, such as the heptafluorotantalate.
Coltan is the colloquial name for the mineral columbite-tantalum ("col-tan"). In the early 21st century coltan mining is associated with human rights violations such as child labour, systematic exploitation of the population by governments or militant groups, exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards as a result of lax environmental protection, and general safety laws and regulations. [1]