Niobium

What is niobium?

Blue and silver niobium, side by side

Discovered by Charles Hatchet of England in 1801, niobium is a platinum white metal with a metallic shine to it. It is named for a character in Greek mythology, Niobe. She is the daughter of Tantalus. It was named after her because niobium is often associated with tantalum.

Niobium has also been called Columbium, since it was first discovered in Columbia, America. Though niobium is it's official name, it is still called Columbium by many people.

Niobium is a white metal, as I mentioned above, but its outer layer turns blue when exposed to room temperature air for too long. It is very ductile, malleable, and highly resistant to corrosion. It doesn't occur free in nature, and (as mentioned above) is almost always found with tantalum.

Some cool niobium earrings

Niobium, much like tantalum, can act as an electrolytic valve allowing alternating current to pass in only one direction through an electrolytic cell. It is used for advanced air frame systems, and also in lamp filaments and jewelry... for jewelry, it can be colored using an electrolytic process.