Category: Transition metal
Atomic Number: 41
Period: 5 | Group: 5
Block: d-block
A superconducting metal that carries the current in every MRI magnet on Earth.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Density | N/A |
| Melting Point | 2750.00 K (2476.85 °C) |
| Boiling Point | 5017.00 K (4743.85 °C) |
| Heat Capacity | N/A |
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic Mass | 92.9064 u |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | N/A |
| Oxidation States | -3, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5 |
| Electron Configuration |
| Discovered By | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Discovery Year | 1801 |
| Named After | Niobe, daughter of Tantalus |
Columbium (1801)
In 1801 the English chemist Charles Hatchett analyzed a black mineral that had been sent to the British Museum from Connecticut and found a new element in it. He named it columbium, after Columbia, a poetic name for America.
Confusion with tantalum
In 1802 Anders Ekeberg found tantalum, and in 1809 William Hyde Wollaston concluded, wrongly, that columbium and tantalum were the same element.
Niobium (1844 to 1866)
In 1844 Heinrich Rose showed that tantalite ores contained a second element besides tantalum and named it niobium, after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus in Greek myth. Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand first isolated the metal in 1864, and between 1864 and 1866 Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac proved that niobium and tantalum were distinct.
One element, two names
Columbium and niobium turned out to be the same element. IUPAC adopted the name niobium in 1949, although American metallurgists went on using columbium for decades.
| ISOTOPE | Neutrons | Natural Abundance | Half-life | Decay Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nb-93 | 52 | 100% | Stable | - |
Data: IAEA Nuclear Data Section, LiveChart of Nuclides, ground-state evaluations, retrieved October 10, 2026. Abundance is the share of atoms in the natural element; a dash means the isotope has no standard natural abundance.
Steel
About 90% of niobium is used as ferroniobium in steel. Adding a few hundredths of a percent produces high-strength low-alloy steels, which are stronger and tougher at lower weight, for oil and gas pipelines, car bodies, bridges and buildings.
Superconducting magnets and accelerators
MRI scanners: almost all MRI magnets are wound with niobium-titanium wire cooled by liquid helium.
Particle physics and fusion: niobium-titanium magnets steer the beams of the Large Hadron Collider, and niobium-tin magnets are used in the ITER fusion reactor and the LHC upgrade.
Accelerator cavities: cavities of pure niobium accelerate particles in machines such as the European XFEL.
Jet engines and other uses
Superalloys: nickel alloys containing niobium, such as Inconel 718, are used in jet engines and gas turbines.
Rockets: the niobium alloy C-103 is used for rocket nozzles, for example on the Apollo service module engine.
Electronics and optics: niobium capacitors, and lithium niobate crystals in optical modulators and phone filters.
| Earth's Crust | N/A |
|---|---|
| Universe | N/A |