Pelopium

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Pelopium was the proposed name for a new element found by the chemist Heinrich Rose in 1845. [1] [2] [3] The name derived from the Greek king and later god Pelops, son of Tantalus. During the analysis of the mineral tantalite he concluded that it does contain an element similar to niobium and tantalum. The similar reactivity of niobium and tantalum complicated preparation of pure samples and therefore several new elements were proposed, which were later found to be mixtures of niobium and tantalum.

The differences between tantalum and niobium and the fact that no other similar element was present were unequivocally demonstrated in 1864 by Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand, [4] and Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville, as well as Louis J. Troost, who determined the formulas of some of the compounds in 1865 [4] [5] and finally by the Swiss chemist Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac. [6]

This confusion arose from the minimal observed differences between tantalum and niobium. Both tantalum and niobium react with chlorine and traces of oxygen, including atmospheric concentrations, with niobium forming two compounds: the white volatile niobium pentachloride (NbCl5) and the non-volatile niobium oxychloride (NbOCl3). The claimed new elements pelopium, ilmenium and dianium [7] were in fact identical to niobium or mixtures of niobium and tantalum. [4]

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Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite and columbate, of general chemical formula (FeII,MnII)Nb2O6, is a black mineral group that is an ore of niobium. It has a submetallic luster and a high density and is a niobate of iron and manganese. This mineral group was first found in Haddam, Connecticut, in the United States. It forms a series with the tantalum-dominant analogue ferrotantalite and one with the manganese-dominant analogue manganocolumbite. The iron-rich member of the columbite group is ferrocolumbite. Some tin and tungsten may be present in the mineral. Yttrocolumbite is the yttrium-rich columbite with the formula (Y,U,Fe)(Nb,Ta)O
4
. It is a radioactive mineral found in Mozambique.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinrich Rose</span> German mineralogist and analytical chemist (1795–1864)

Heinrich Rose was a German mineralogist and analytical chemist. He was the brother of the mineralogist Gustav Rose and a son of Valentin Rose. Rose's early works on phosphorescence were noted in the Quarterly Journal of Science in 1821, and on the strength of these works, he was elected privatdozent at the University of Berlin from 1822, then Professor from 1832.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand</span> Swedish mineralogist and chemist

Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand was a Swedish mineralogist and chemist. He was a professor at the University of Lund from 1862-1895, where he isolated the element niobium in 1864. He developed an early version of the periodic table and made advances in understanding the chemistry of coordination compounds. Blomstrand published textbooks in chemistry and was well-known internationally for his scientific contributions.

Ilmenium was the proposed name for a new element found by the chemist R. Hermann in 1847. During the analysis of the mineral samarskite, he concluded that it does contain an element similar to niobium and tantalum. The similar reactivity of niobium and tantalum complicated preparation of pure samples of the metals and therefore several new elements were proposed, which were later found to be mixtures of niobium and tantalum.

Dianium was the proposed name for a new element found by the mineralogist and poet Wolfgang Franz von Kobell in 1860. The name derived from the Roman goddess Diana. During the analysis of the mineral tantalite and niobite he concluded that it does contain an element similar to niobium and tantalum. The symbol was Di.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niobium(V) fluoride</span> Chemical compound

Niobium(V) fluoride, also known as niobium pentafluoride, is the inorganic compound with the formula NbF5. It is a colorless solid..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niobium oxychloride</span> Chemical compound

Niobium oxychloride is the inorganic compound with the formula NbOCl3. It is a white, crystalline, diamagnetic solid. It is often found as an impurity in samples of niobium pentachloride, a common reagent in niobium chemistry.

Organoniobium chemistry is the chemistry of compounds containing niobium-carbon (Nb-C) bonds. Compared to the other group 5 transition metal organometallics, the chemistry of organoniobium compounds most closely resembles that of organotantalum compounds. Organoniobium compounds of oxidation states +5, +4, +3, +2, +1, 0, -1, and -3 have been prepared, with the +5 oxidation state being the most common.

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References

  1. Rose, Heinrich (1846). "On a new metal, pelopium, contained in the Bavarian tantalite". Philosophical Magazine. Series 3. 29 (195): 409–416. doi:10.1080/14786444608645529.
  2. Rose, Heinrich (1845). "On two new metals, pelopium and niobium, discovered in the bavarian tantalites". Philosophical Magazine. Series 3. 26 (171): 179–181. doi:10.1080/14786444508562692.
  3. "Niobium und Pelopium". Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie. 60 (2): 206–208. 1846. doi:10.1002/jlac.18460600233.
  4. 1 2 3 Marignac, Blomstrand, H. Deville, L. Troost und R. Hermann (1866). "Tantalsäure, Niobsäure, (Ilmensäure) und Titansäure". Fresenius' Journal of Analytical Chemistry. 5 (1): 384–389. doi:10.1007/BF01302537. S2CID   97246260.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Gupta, C. K.; Suri, A. K. (1994). Extractive Metallurgy of Niobium. CRC Press. pp. 1–16. ISBN   978-0-8493-6071-8.
  6. Marignac, M. C. (1866). "Recherches sur les combinaisons du niobium". Annales de chimie et de physique (in French). 4 (8): 7–75.
  7. Kobell, V. (1860). "Ueber eine eigenthümliche Säure, Diansäure, in der Gruppe der Tantal- und Niob- verbindungen". Journal für Praktische Chemie. 79 (1): 291–303. doi:10.1002/prac.18600790145.