Niobium
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. The name comes from Greek mythology:Niobe, daughter of Tantalus since it is so similar to tantalum.
A stylized shell model. Electrons are quantum objects, not particles following these literal paths. Sizes and motion are illustrative.
36 is the [Kr] core total across four shells.
At a glance
- Atomic number
- 41
- Atomic mass
- 92.906372 u
- Phase
- Solid
- Density
- 8.57 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 2,750 K
- Boiling point
- 5,017 K
- First ionization energy
- 652.1 kJ/mol
- Electronegativity
- 1.6
- Electron affinity
- 88.516 kJ/mol
- Molar heat capacity
- 24.6 J/(mol·K)
- Period
- 5
- Appearance
- gray metallic, bluish when oxidized
Conditions and isotopes affect measured properties. Some properties of short-lived elements are predicted. Electronegativity uses the Pauling scale.
Keep exploring
Explore the stories, imagery, and reference data in more depth. Properties with no value in the reference are marked unavailable.