NIOBIUM ELEMENT(Nb)

Niobium (Nb) is a transition metal, atomic number 41, known for its superconductive
properties and use in alloys, especially steel.

Niobium in the periodic table: - Niobium (Nb) is a

transition metal with atomic number 41. It's part of Group 5
and Period 5 in the periodic table. Recognized for its
superconductivity, niobium is used in various applications,
including alloying with steel and in the production of
superconducting magnets, contributing to technological and
industrial advancements.
 Property Value

Atomic Number, Discovery 41, Charles Hatchett (1801)

Atomic Mass 92.906 g/mol

Group, Period, Block 5, 5, d

Density 8.57 g/cm^3

Melting Point 2,468°C

Boiling Point 4,927°C

Common Uses Steel Production

Physical Properties of Niobium (Nb): -

Property Value
Thermal Conductivity 53.7 w/(m•K)

Electrical Conductivity 6.7×10^6 S/m

Specific Heat 0.27 J/g . K

Heat Fusion 26.8kj/mol

Young’s Modulus 105 GPA

Poisson’s Ratio 0.4

 Mohs Hardness 6.0

Atomic Properties: -
Niobium, with atomic number 41, exhibits notable properties
crucial in diverse applications. Its exceptional
superconductivity at low temperatures makes it vital for
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and particle accelerators.
As a refractory metal with a high melting point of 2,468°C,
niobium enhances the stability of alloys, particularly in
superalloys for aerospace components. Its excellent corrosion
resistance contributes to its use in chemical processing
equipment. Niobium's ability to form oxide layers aids in
producing superconducting materials. Furthermore, its
presence in steel enhances strength and weldability. These
distinctive attributes position niobium as a pivotal element in
technological advancements across various industries.

Oxidation state -3, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5(a

mildly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity Pauling scale: 1.6

Ionization energies 1st: 652.1 kJ/mol,

2nd:1380kJ/mol, 3rd:2416kJ/mol
Atomic radius Empirical: 146pm

Covalent radius 164+-6 pm

Chemical Properties: - The metal takes on a bluish
tinge when exposed to air at room temperature for
extended periods. Despite a high melting point in
elemental form (2,468 °C), it is less dense than
other refractory metals. Furthermore, it is corrosion-
resistant, exhibits superconductivity properties, and
forms dielectric oxide layers.
Niobium is slightly less electropositive and more compact
than its predecessor in the periodic table, zirconium,
whereas it is virtually identical in size to the heavier
tantalum atoms, as a result of the lanthanide
contraction. As a result, niobium's chemical properties are
very similar to those for tantalum, which appears directly
below niobium in the periodic table. Although its corrosion
resistance is not as outstanding as that of tantalum, the
lower price and greater availability make niobium attractive
for less demanding applications, such as vat linings in
chemical plants.

Isotopes: - Niobium in Earth's crust comprises one

stable isotope, 93Nb. By 2003, at least 32 radioisotopes had
been synthesized, ranging in atomic mass from 81 to 113.
The most stable is 92Nb with half-life 34.7 million years. One
of the least stable is 113Nb; estimated half-life
30 milliseconds. Isotopes lighter than the stable 93Nb tend
to β+ decay, and those that are heavier tend to β− decay,
with some exceptions. 81Nb, 82Nb, and 84Nb have minor β+-
delayed proton emission decay paths, 91Nb decays
by electron capture and positron emission, and 92Nb decays
by both β+ and β− decay.
At least 25 nuclear isomers have been described, ranging in
atomic mass from 84 to 104. Within this range,
only 96Nb, 101Nb, and 103Nb do not have isomers. The most
stable of niobium's isomers is 93mNb with half-life
16.13 years. The least stable isomer is 84mNb with a half-life
of 103 ns. All of niobium's isomers decay by isomeric
transition or beta decay except 92m1Nb, which has a minor
electron capture branch.

Occurrence : - Niobium is estimated to be the 34th-

most common element in Earth's crust, at 20 ppm. Some
believe that the abundance on Earth is much greater, and
that the element's high density has concentrated it in
Earth's core. The free element is not found in nature, but
niobium occurs in combination with other elements in
minerals. Minerals that contain niobium often also contain
tantalum. Examples include columbite ((Fe,Mn)Nb2O6)
and columbite–
tantalite (or coltan, (Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)2O6). Columbite–tantalite
minerals (the most common species being columbite-(Fe)
and tantalite-(Fe), where "-(Fe)" is the Levinson suffix
indicating the prevalence of iron over other elements such
as manganese) that are most usually found as accessory
minerals in pegmatite intrusions, and in alkaline intrusive
rocks. Less common are the niobates
of calcium, uranium, thorium and the rare earth elements.
Examples of such niobates
are pyrochlore ((Na,Ca)2Nb2O6(OH,F)) (now a group name,
with a relatively common example being, e.g.,
fluorcalciopyrochlore) and euxenite (correctly named
euxenite-(Y)) ((Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6). These large
deposits of niobium have been found associated
with carbonatites (carbonate-silicate igneous rocks) and as
a constituent of pyrochlore.
The three largest currently mined deposits of pyrochlore,
two in Brazil and one in Canada, were found in the 1950s,
and are still the major producers of niobium mineral
concentrates. The largest deposit is hosted within
a carbonatite intrusion in Araxá, state of Minas Gerais,
Brazil, owned by CBMM (Companhia Brasileira de
Metalurgia e Mineração); the other active Brazilian deposit
is located near Catalão, state of Goiás, and owned by China
Molybdenum, also hosted within a carbonatite
intrusion. Together, those two mines produce about 88% of
the world's supply. Brazil also has a large but still
unexploited deposit near São Gabriel da Cachoeira, state
of Amazonas, as well as a few smaller deposits, notably in
the state of Roraima.
The third largest producer of niobium is the carbonatite-
hosted Niobec mine, in Saint-Honoré,
near Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada, owned by Magris
Resources. It produces between 7% and 10% of the world's
supply.

Production: - After the separation from the other

minerals, the mixed oxides of tantalum Ta2O5 and
niobium Nb2O5 are obtained. The first step in the processing
is the reaction of the oxides with hydrofluoric acid:
Ta2O5 + 14 HF → 2 H2[TaF7] + 5 H2O
Nb2O5 + 10 HF → 2 H2[NbOF5] + 3 H2O
The first industrial scale separation, developed
by Swiss chemist de Marignac, exploits the
differing solubilities of the complex niobium and
tantalum fluorides, dipotassium oxypentafluoroniobate
monohydrate (K2[NbOF5]·H2O) and dipotassium
heptafluorotantalate (K2[TaF7]) in water. Newer processes
use the liquid extraction of the fluorides
from aqueous solution by organic
solvents like cyclohexanone. The complex niobium and
tantalum fluorides are extracted separately from
the organic solvent with water and either precipitated by
the addition of potassium fluoride to produce a potassium
fluoride complex, or precipitated with ammonia as the
pentoxide:
H2[NbOF5] + 2 KF → K2[NbOF5]↓ + 2 HF
Followed by:
2 H2[NbOF5] + 10 NH4OH → Nb2O5↓ + 10 NH4F + 7 H2O
Several methods are used for the reduction to metallic
niobium. The electrolysis of a molten mixture of K2[NbOF5]
and sodium chloride is one; the other is the reduction of the
fluoride with sodium. With this method, a relatively high
purity niobium can be obtained. In large scale
production, Nb2O5 is reduced with hydrogen or
carbon.[54] In the aluminothermic reaction, a mixture
of iron oxide and niobium oxide is reacted with aluminium:
3 Nb2O5 + Fe2O3 + 12 Al → 6 Nb + 2 Fe + 6 Al2O3
Small amounts of oxidizers like sodium nitrate are added to
enhance the reaction. The result is aluminium
oxide and ferroniobium, an alloy of iron and niobium used
in steel production. Ferroniobium contains between 60 and
70% niobium. Without iron oxide, the aluminothermic
process is used to produce niobium. Further purification is
necessary to reach the grade
for superconductive alloys. Electron beam melting under
vacuum is the method used by the two major distributors
of niobium.
As of 2013, CBMM from Brazil controlled 85 percent of the
world's niobium production. The United States Geological
Survey estimates that the production increased from 38,700
tonnes in 2005 to 44,500 tonnes in 2006. Worldwide
resources are estimated to be 4.4 million tonnes. During the
ten-year period between 1995 and 2005, the production
more than doubled, starting from 17,800 tonnes in
1995. Between 2009 and 2011, production was stable at
63,000 tonnes per year, with a slight decrease in 2012 to
only 50,000 tonnes per year.

Compounds of Niobium: -
In many ways, niobium is similar
to tantalum and zirconium. It reacts with most
nonmetals at high temperatures; with fluorine at
room temperature; with chlorine at 150 °C
and hydrogen at 200 °C; and with nitrogen at 400 °C,
with products that are frequently interstitial and
nonstoichiometric. The metal begins to oxidize in air
at 200 °C. It resists corrosion by acids, including aqua
regia, hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric and phosphoric
acids. Niobium is attacked by hot concentrated
sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid and
hydrofluoric/nitric acid mixtures. It is also attacked
by hot, saturated alkali metal hydroxide solutions.
Although niobium exhibits all of the formal
oxidation states from +5 to −1, the most common
compounds have niobium in the +5 state.
Characteristically, compounds in oxidation states less
than 5+ display Nb–Nb bonding. In aqueous
solutions, niobium only exhibits the +5-oxidation
state. It is also readily prone to hydrolysis and is
barely soluble in dilute solutions
of hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric and phosphoric
acids due to the precipitation of hydrous Nb
oxide. Nb(V) is also slightly soluble in alkaline media
due to the formation of soluble polyoxoniobate
species.
Oxides, niobates and sulfides: - Niobium
forms oxides in the oxidation states +5
(Nb2O5),[70] +4 (NbO2), and the rarer oxidation state,
+2 (NbO). Most common is the pentoxide, precursor
to almost all niobium compounds and
alloys. Niobates are generated by dissolving the
pentoxide in basic hydroxide solutions or by melting
it in alkali metal oxides. Examples are lithium
niobate (LiNbO3) and lanthanum niobate (LaNbO4). In
the lithium niobate is a trigonally
distorted perovskite-like structure, whereas the
lanthanum niobate contains lone NbO3−
4 ions. The layered niobium sulfide (NbS2) is also
known.
Materials can be coated with a thin film of
niobium(V) oxide chemical vapor
deposition or atomic layer deposition processes,
produced by the thermal decomposition
of niobium(V) ethoxide above 350 °C.
Halides: - Niobium forms halides in the oxidation
states of +5 and +4 as well as
diverse substoichiometric compounds. The
pentahalides (NbX
5) feature octahedral Nb centres. Niobium
pentafluoride (NbF5) is a white solid with a melting
point of 79.0 °C and niobium pentachloride (NbCl5) is
yellow (see image at left) with a melting point of
203.4 °C. Both are hydrolyzed to give oxides and
oxyhalides, such as NbOCl3. The pentachloride is a
versatile reagent used to generate
the organometallic compounds, such as niobocene
dichloride ((C
5H5)2NbCl2). The tetrahalides (NbX4) are dark-
coloured polymers with Nb-Nb bonds; for example,
the black hygroscopic niobium tetrafluoride (NbF4)
and brown niobium tetrachloride (NbCl4).
Anionic halide compounds of niobium are well
known, owing in part to the Lewis acidity of the
pentahalides. The most important is [NbF7]2−, an
intermediate in the separation of Nb and Ta from the
ores. This heptafluoride tends to form the
oxopentafluoride more readily than does the
tantalum compound. Other halide complexes include
octahedral [NbCl6]−:
Nb2Cl10 + 2 Cl− → 2 [NbCl6]−
As with other metals with low atomic numbers, a
variety of reduced halide cluster ions is known, the
prime example being [Nb6Cl18]4−.
Nitrides and carbides: - Other binary
compounds of niobium include niobium
nitride (NbN), which becomes a superconductor at
low temperatures and is used in detectors for
infrared light. The main niobium carbide is NbC, an
extremely hard, refractory, ceramic material,
commercially used in cutting tool bits.
Applications: -

Steel Production
Niobium is an effective microalloying element for
steel, within which it forms niobium
carbide and niobium nitride. These compounds
improve the grain refining, and retard
recrystallization and precipitation hardening. These
effects in turn increase
the toughness, strength, formability, and weldability.
Within microalloyed stainless steels, the niobium
content is a small (less than 0.1%) but important
addition to high-strength low-alloy steels that are
widely used structurally in modern
automobiles. Niobium is sometimes used in
considerably higher quantities for highly wear-
resistant machine components and knives, as high as
3% in Crucible CPM S110V stainless steel.
These same niobium alloys are often used in pipeline
construction.
Superalloys
Quantities of niobium are used in nickel-, cobalt-,
and iron-based superalloys in proportions as great
as 6.5% for such applications as jet
engine components, gas turbines, rocket
subassemblies, turbo charger systems, heat resisting,
and combustion equipment. Niobium precipitates a
hardening γ''-phase within the grain structure of the
superalloy.
One example superalloy is Inconel 718, consisting of
roughly 50% nickel, 18.6% chromium, 18.5% iron,
5% niobium, 3.1% molybdenum, 0.9% titanium, and
0.4% aluminium.
These superalloys were used, for example, in
advanced air frame systems for the Gemini program.
Another niobium alloy[clarification needed] was used
for the nozzle of the Apollo Service Module. Because
niobium is oxidized at temperatures above 400 °C, a
protective coating is necessary for these applications
to prevent the alloy from becoming brittle.
Niobium-based alloys, Superconducting
magnets, other superconductors,
Electroceramics etc.

Precautions: - Niobium has no known

biological role. While niobium dust is an eye and skin
irritant and a potential fire hazard, elemental
niobium on a larger scale is physiologically inert (and
thus hypoallergenic) and harmless. It is often used in
jewelry and has been tested for use in some medical
implants.
Short- and long-term exposure to niobates and
niobium chloride, two water-soluble chemicals, have
been tested in rats. Rats treated with a single
injection of niobium pentachloride or niobates show
a median lethal dose (LD50) between 10 and
100 mg/kg. For oral administration the toxicity is
lower; a study with rats yielded a LD50 after seven
days of 940 mg/kg.
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