Tantalum (Ta) is a hard, lustrous, blue-gray metal with a high melting point, atomic number 73, and excellent corrosion and heat resistance. These properties make it valuable in electronics, especially capacitors in mobile phones, and in high-temperature applications like jet engines and for surgical implants due to its biocompatibility. It was discovered by Anders Ekeberg in 1802 and is primarily mined from minerals like tantalite.
