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Element 41 - Niobium (Nb) sound

From Niobe, daughter of the mythical Greek king Tantalus (niobium is found with tantalum); discovered 1801. Used in steel, atomic reactors, jet engines and rockets, it was known until 1950 as columbium, from Columbia--a poetic name for America, where its ore was first discovered.

Properties

Atomic Number: 41
Atomic Weight: 92.9064
Electron Configuration (at ground state): 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d45s1
Oxidation States (Bold most stable): +3, +5
Boiling Point (K): 5015
Melting Point (K): 2742
Density (at 300K -- g/cm3): 8.57
Atomic Volume (at 300K -- cm3/mol) 10.80
Number of stable isotopes: 1
Mass Number (Bold naturally occurring) -- Half-Life -- Disintigration Type: 94 -- 2.0 x 104 years -- beta particle (electron) emission
95 -- 35.15 days -- beta particle (electron) emission
Covalent Radius (Å): 1.34
Atomic Radius (Å): 1.46
First Ionization Potential (V): 6.88
Electronegativity (Pauling's): 1.6
Specific Heat Capacity (at 300K -- J g-1 K-1): 0.265
Heat of Vaporization (kJ/mol): 690.1
Heat of Fusion (kJ/mol): 26.9
Electrical Conductivity (at 293K for polycrystalline material -- 106 (ohms)-1 cm-1): 6.6
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m-1 K-1): 53.7
Crystal Structure: Cubic, body centered
Acid-Base Properties: Slightly acidic