What is tantalum, the rare metal found in Sutlej?

Subject : Geography

Section: Economic geography

Context:

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar has found the presence of tantalum, a rare metal, in the Sutlej river sand in Punjab.

About Tantalum:

Discovered by Anders Gustaf Ekenberg, a Swedish chemist, in 1802.
Named after a Greek mythological figure Tantalus, the rich but wicked king of a town above Mount Sipylus in Anatolia.
It is a rare metal with the atomic number 73 — the number of protons found in one atom of the element.
It is part of the refractory metals group, which are widely used as components of strong high-melting-point alloys.
It’s grey, heavy, very hard, ductile (when pure) and one of the most corrosion-resistant metals in use today.
- It possesses high corrosion resistance because when exposed to air, it forms an oxide layer that is extremely difficult to remove, even when it interacts with strong and hot acid environments.
It is almost completely immune to chemical attack at temperatures below 150°C and is attacked only by hydrofluoric acid, acidic solutions containing the fluoride ion, and free sulphur trioxide.
Tantalum also has an extremely high melting point, exceeded only by tungsten and rhenium.

Uses:

Mostly used in the electronic sector. The capacitors made from tantalum are capable of storing more electricity in smaller sizes without much leakage than any other type of capacitor.
Due to its high melting point, tantalum is used as a substitute for platinum.
It is also used to make components for chemical plants, nuclear power plants, aeroplanes and missiles.
As it does not react with bodily fluids it is used to make surgical equipment and implants, like artificial joints.
A composite consisting of tantalum carbide (TaC) and graphite is one of the hardest materials known and is used on the cutting edges of high-speed machine tools.