In the mid-17th century, a heavy black mineral found in North America was sent to the British museum for safekeeping. About 150 years later, in 1801, Charles hatchett, a British chemist, accepted an analytical assignment from the British museum to find a new element, coltan (later renamed
niobium).
In 1802, the Swedish chemist anders gustav Mr Zuckerberg in the analysis of the Scandinavian peninsula a mineral (niobium
Tantalum ore), make their acid double salt fluoride, recrystallization, thus discovered the new element, his reference to Greek mythology, Zeus the son of god temple taras (Tantalus), the name of this element named Tantalum, Tantalum.
In 1864, Christian willem brunstrand, Henry edin st. clair DE vere, and Louis Joseph trost clearly proved that tantalum and niobium are two different chemical elements and established chemical formulas for some related compounds.
In the same year, DE marinia heated tantalum chloride in the hydrogen environment, thus making tantalum metal for the first time through reduction reaction. Werner bolton first made pure tantalum in 1903.
Scientists first used layered crystallization to extract tantalum from niobium. This method was discovered by DE marinia in 1866.Today, scientists use solvent extraction of fluoride containing tantalum.
