tantalum

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablechemistry

   A hard, heavy, silvery-gray metal that resists corrosion well and is widely used in electronic parts such as capacitors.

   Grammar: No plural and no 'a': tantalum is rare.

   Patterns

   • made of tantalum
   • tantalum in something

   Tantalum is used in tiny capacitors inside mobile phones.

   Surgeons sometimes use tantalum because the body does not reject it.

   Mining tantalum has caused disputes in several countries.

2. 2noununcountablechemistry

   The chemical element with atomic number 73 and the symbol Ta.

   Grammar: Used in science lessons: tantalum has the symbol Ta.

   Patterns

   • the element tantalum

   Tantalum has atomic number 73 on the periodic table.

   Students learn that tantalum has the symbol Ta.

   Tantalum sits below niobium in the table.

Common combinations

tantalum capacitor

A tantalum capacitor can store a lot of charge in a small space.

mine tantalum

Workers mine tantalum from coltan ore.

tantalum oxide

Tantalum oxide is used in camera lenses.

tantalum alloy

A tantalum alloy resists acid very well.

tantalum supply

Phone makers worry about the tantalum supply.

Synonyms and how they differ

Ta

This is the chemical symbol, used in formulas and tables rather than in ordinary sentences.

niobium

This is a different but chemically similar metal that often occurs with tantalum, and is not a synonym.

Word family

tantalate noun

a salt containing tantalum

tantalic adjective

relating to tantalum

tantalize verb

to tease with something out of reach

coltan noun

an ore from which tantalum is extracted

Commonly confused: tantalum or titanium? tantalum or tantalize?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “tantalum”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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