Tantalum

Element 73 · Transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number: 73
Atomic mass: 180.948
State at room temperature: Solid
Melting point: 3,017 °C
Boiling point: 5,458 °C
Density: 16.4 g/cm³
Discovered: 1802

Physical data from PubChem.¹

Can I eat it?

In food and water: Not needed, little harm known. The body does not use tantalum. The Royal Society of Chemistry calls it non-toxic. There are few studies of tantalum in food. ²

The atom

Shell	Electrons
1 (K)	2
2 (L)	8
3 (M)	18
4 (N)	32
5 (O)	11
6 (P) outermost	2
Total	73

Configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d³ 6s²

4f ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓

5d ↑ ↑ ↑

6s ↑ ↓

A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 73 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Xe core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Sources

1

National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

Atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.
2
Royal Society of Chemistry, Periodic Table, 2026. Tantalum - Element information, properties and uses .

Reference page; its Biological role and Natural abundance sections are quoted.
- Tantalum has no known biological role. It is non-toxic.

Specimen

Can I eat it?

The atom

Related elements

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Sources