Tantalum vs. Aluminum
Tantalum (Ta) and aluminum (Al) are both chemical elements that serve a range of functions. Though they share similarities, these two elements differ from each other in a variety of ways, from their classification on the Periodic Table and certain features to where they're found and what their uses are.
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Discovery
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In 1802 Anders Gustaf Ekeberg discovered and named tantalum, christening it after the fictional king Tantalus of Greek mythology. Due to tantalum's similarity with another element called niobium, Ekeberg's discovery wasn't accepted until later testing verified what he already knew.
In 1825, 23 years after the initial discovery of tantalum, Hans Christian Ørsted isolated an impure form of aluminum. Two years later Friedrich Wohler isolated it completely. Originally called aluminium, in 1925 the American Chemical Society decided to rename it aluminum (a name that had been proposed earlier), though the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) name for aluminum is still aluminium.
Chemistry
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Tantalum is a rare transition metal whose atomic number is 73, a neutron count of 108 and an atomic weight of 180.948.
Aluminum contains fewer protons and neutrons than tantalum, having an atomic number of 13, a neutron count of 14 and an atomic weight of 26.982.
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Physical Features
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Tantalum is conductive of heat and electricity. It is heavy, gray colored, hard, nonmagnetic, has a high chemical resistance and is ductile when pure. It melts at 5,462.6 degrees F and boils at 9,856.4 degrees F.
Aluminum, like tantalum, is ductile, nonmagnetic and conductive of electricity and heat. Unlike tantalum, it is the third most common element in the Earth's crust, is weak, soft and silvery white. It melts and boils at lower temperatures than tantalum, melting at around 1,220.36 degrees F and boiling at around 4,472.6 degrees F. Another feature of aluminum is that it forms a film of aluminum oxide on its exterior.
Function
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Tantalum is used in surgical equipment, medical implants, camera lenses, capacitors and machine parts for such things as airplanes, missiles, nuclear power plants and chemical plants. Tantalum alloys are used when strong and ductile alloys with a high melting point are needed.
Aluminum is used in a vast range of situations. Like tantalum it is used to make alloys. However it is also used to make aluminum cables (for carrying electricity long distances), window frames, drink containers, insulators, food containers, spark plugs, in medicine (for upset stomachs), as a water treatment for plants and in deodorants. Corundum, a mineral that includes sapphires and rubies, is part aluminum.
Sources
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Tantalum-bearing ores can be found in Canada, Portugal, Thailand, Brazil, Zaire, Australia, Nigeria and Mozambique. The most common mineral it is found in is columbite-tantalite.
Aluminum, though also found in Brazil like tantalum, is mostly found in Australia and Guinea, with other sources including India and Jamaica. Aluminum's most common mineral ore is bauxite.
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References
Resources
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