Niobium facts for kids
Niobium is a chemical element. It is sometimes named columbium. It has the chemical symbol Nb. It has the atomic number 41. It is a rare metal. Niobium is soft and grey. It is ductile. In chemistry it is placed in a group of metal elements named the transition metals. Niobium was discovered in a variety of a mineral called columbite (now called niobite). Niobite is an ore of niobium.
Niobium is considered a technology-critical element. It is used in alloys, such as to make special steels and strong welded joints. Less than 0.1% of Niobium significantly improves the strength of steel. It is in the superconducting alloys used in MRI scanners, which are one of the most important medical inventions of the modern age.
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| H | He | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cs | Ba | La | Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn | ||||||||||
| Fr | Ra | Ac | Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Uut | Fl | Uup | Lv | Uus | Uuo | ||||||||||
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Images for kids
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English chemist Charles Hatchett identified the element columbium in 1801 within a mineral discovered in Connecticut, US.
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Picture of a Hellenistic sculpture representing Niobe by Giorgio Sommer
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A very pure sample of niobium pentachloride
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Ball-and-stick model of niobium pentachloride, which exists as a dimer
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Apollo 15 CSM in lunar orbit with the dark rocket nozzle made from niobium–titanium alloy
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Merlin Vacuum nozzle made from a niobium alloy
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A 3-tesla clinical magnetic resonance imaging scanner using niobium superconducting alloy
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A 1.3 GHz 9-cell superconducting radio frequency cavity made from niobium is on display at Fermilab
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A 150 Years Semmering Alpine Railway Coin made of niobium and silver
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See also
In Spanish: Niobio para niños
