the.com/tantalum
a metal so chemically stubborn it laughs off acid and powers your phone
means A hard, corrosion-resistant, bluish-gray metallic element (symbol Ta, atomic number 73) prized for its imperviousness to acids and used heavily in electronics, especially capacitors.
from Named in the early 1800s by the Swedish chemist Anders Ekeberg, who reached for Greek myth: Tantalus, the king condemned to stand in water that drained away whenever he stooped to drink. The metal earned the name because it sat surrounded by acid yet 'could not drink' — it refused to react and absorb any, a chemist's joke about a tantalizing, untouchable thirst. (The word 'tantalize' springs from the very same tortured king.)
- named after
- Tantalus, the Greek king cursed with eternal thirst
- acid-proof
- shrugs off everything but hydrofluoric acid
- in your pocket
- capacitors in nearly every smartphone use it
- body-friendly
- surgeons implant it without rejection
- melting point
- stays solid past 3000 degrees Celsius
capacitors in iphone 15 — tantalum capacitors store electrical charge in apple devices, requiring conflict-free sourcing certification
pacemaker components — tantalum's biocompatibility makes it ideal for implants like medtronic cardiac devices since the 1960s