Niobium

This week's element is another that many of you have either not heard of, or forgot that you'd heard about. It's niobium, which has the atomic symbol Nb and the atomic number 41. As you can see in the above image, niobium is grey in colour, although it takes on a bluish hue when exposed to air at room temperature for extended periods. This transition metal is soft and ductile and has relatively low density, for a transition metal. It is used in superconducting magnets and since niobium alloys are heat-resistant, they are used in space rocket nozzels. It is also used in electronics, optics, and welding. Those uses are not too common in most people's lives, but you probably have run across niobium in jewelry. This element is popular because it is hypoallergenic and also because when anodized, its surface shimmers with an array of lovely iridescent colours, particularly blues and purples (my favourites). You may also have run across niobium alongside silver or gold in coinage. Austria produced a number of commemorative coins and a Euro coin series using niobium , starting in 2003. The niobium centre of these coins was either blue, green, brown, purple, violet, or yellow. Latvia also produced a similar series of coins starting in 2004 . Not to be outdone, the Royal Canadian Mint began production of a $5 sterling silver and niobium coin named " Hunter's Moon ", which is being released in 2012 -- unfortunately, a little late for Christmas. The Canadian series of coins is especially collectible because the niobium was selectively oxidized to create unique finishes so no two coins are exactly alike. How is niobium anodized? This fascinating video captures the process for you: Visit draiodoirceltic 's YouTube channel [ video link ]. Here's our favourite chemistry professor talking about a reaction he carried out between niobium and vanadium (immediately above it on the periodic table) and tantalum (immediately below it on the periodic table): Visit periodicvideos 's YouTube channel [ video link ]. Niobium has been the subject of an ongoing controversy. For 150 years, this element was known as columbium, for the mineral from which it was first obtained. This name was in wide use in the United States, whereas niobium was used in Europe. In 1949, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUCAC) flexed its muscles by officially changing this element's name to niobium, after the sorrowful Greek goddess, Niobe, despite the fact that the name columbium has precedence. Despite this official name change, columbium is still used by some organisations including, most notably, the United States Geological Survey. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Video journalist Brady Haran is the man with the camera and the University of Nottingham is the place with the chemists. You can follow Brady on twitter @ periodicvideos and the University of Nottingham on twitter @ UniNottingham You've already met these elements: Zirconium : Zr , atomic number 40 Yttrium : Y , atomic number 39 Strontium : Sr , atomic number 38 Rubidium : Rr , atomic number 37 Krypton : Kr , atomic number 36 Bromine : Br , atomic number 35 Selenium : Se , atomic number 34 Arsenic : As , atomic number 33 Germanium : Ge , atomic number 32 Gallium : Ga , atomic number 31 Zinc : Zn , atomic number 30 Copper : Cu , atomic number 29 Nickel : Ni , atomic number 28 Cobalt : Co , atomic number 27 Iron : Fe , atomic number 26 Manganese : Mn , atomic number 25 Chromium : Cr , atomic number 24 Vanadium : V , atomic number 23 Titanium : Ti , atomic number 22 Scandium : Sc , atomic number 21 Calcium : Ca , atomic number 20 Potassium : K , atomic number 19 Argon : Ar , atomic number 18 Chlorine : Cl , atomic number 17 Sulfur : S , atomic number 16 Phosphorus : P , atomic number 15 Silicon : Si , atomic number 14 Aluminium : Al , atomic number 13 Magnesium : Mg , atomic number 12 Sodium : Na , atomic number 11 Neon : Ne , atomic number 10 Fluorine : F , atomic number 9 Oxygen : O , atomic number 8 Nitrogen : N , atomic number 7 Carbon : C , atomic number 6 Boron : B , atomic number 5 Beryllium : Be , atomic number 4 Lithium : Li , atomic number 3 Helium : He , atomic number 2 Hydrogen : H , atomic number 1 Here's a wonderful interactive Periodic Table of the Elements that is just really really fun to play with! .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. twitter: @ GrrlScientist facebook: grrlscientist email: [email protected]