Niobium, formerly columbium, is a chemical element with symbol Nb (formerly Cb) and atomic number 41. It is a soft, grey, ductile transition metal, which is often found in the pyrochlore mineral, the main commercial source for niobium, and columbite. The name comes from Greek mythology:Niobe, daughter of Tantalus since it is so similar to tantalum.
Three reasons Niobium stands out
- 1
Used in materials that help magnets levitate and carry electricity.
- 2
It was called columbium in the United States for over a century, one of the longest naming disputes in chemistry history.
- 3
Its alloys with titanium are used in the superconducting magnets inside particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider.
A metal with two names and one complex history
Niobium strengthens steel in tiny additions and becomes superconducting at low temperature. Niobium-titanium wire forms the magnets in many MRI machines and particle accelerators. Its name emerged from a long confusion with tantalum—chemically similar neighbors whose mythological names are related.