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tantalum Definition

tan·ta·lum (tan′tə ləm)

noun

a hard, gray, ductile, corrosion-resistant, metallic chemical element found in various minerals and used in making nuclear reactors, chemical equipment, missiles, electronic components, etc.: symbol, Ta; at. no., 73

Etymology: ModL: so named (1802) by its discoverer, Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (1767-1813), Swed chemist < Gr Tantalos, Tantalus (its insolubility in most acids made extraction from the mineral tantalizing) + -(i)um

tantalum Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • capacitor: The powder from which tantalum capacitors are made is of pure tantalum metal, with a typical particle size of 10µm.
  • bead: Do not remove any of the tantalum beads in the Digital section, these provide extra low impedance smoothing.
  • target: In a tantalum target, the electrons generate an intense highly directional gamma-ray beam that can be used to carry out photonuclear reactions.

Noun used with modifier

  • polymer: Secondly, that the polymer tantalum type has higher leakage currents than traditional capacitors.

Browse dictionary entries near tantalum

  1. ‹ tantalous
  2. ‹ tantalizing
  3. ‹ tantalize
  4. ‹ tantalite
  5. ‹ tantalic acid
  6. ‹ tantalic
  7. ‹ tantalate
  8. ‹ Tanta
  9. ‹ tant pis
  10. ‹ tant mieux
  1. Tantalus ›
  2. tantamount ›
  3. tantara ›
  4. tante ›
  5. tantivy ›
  6. tanto ›
  7. tantra ›
  8. tantrum ›
  9. Tanya ›
  10. Tanzania ›