Niobium facts for kids

A sheet of niobium

Niobium is a special chemical element. It's also known as columbium. Its chemical symbol is Nb, and its atomic number is 41. Niobium is a rare metal that looks soft and grey. It's also very flexible, meaning it can be stretched into thin wires without breaking. In chemistry, niobium belongs to a group of metals called transition metals.

Niobium is super important for modern technology. It's used to make strong alloys, which are mixtures of metals. For example, adding even a tiny bit of niobium (less than 0.1%) can make steel much stronger! This makes it great for things like strong welded joints. Niobium is also a key part of superconducting alloys. These are used in amazing machines like MRI scanners, which help doctors see inside the human body.

What is Niobium?

Niobium is a basic building block of matter, just like oxygen or gold. It's a shiny, grey metal that is quite soft. You can stretch it into thin wires or flatten it into sheets. This makes it very useful for many different things.

Where Does Niobium Come From?

Niobium was first found in a mineral called columbite. This mineral is now known as niobite. Niobite is an ore, which means it's a rock from which we can get the metal. Scientists extract niobium from this ore.

How We Use Niobium Today

Niobium is called a technology-critical element because it's so important for many modern inventions. It helps make things stronger and work better.

Making Super Strong Metals

One of the main uses for niobium is in alloys. When you mix niobium with other metals, it creates super strong materials. For example, adding a tiny amount of niobium to steel makes the steel much tougher. This strong steel is used in buildings, bridges, and even cars. It helps make them safer and last longer.

Superconductors and MRI Scanners

Niobium is also a key ingredient in special alloys that can become superconducting. This means they can carry electricity with almost no energy loss when they are very, very cold. This amazing property is used in MRI scanners. MRI machines create powerful magnetic fields to take detailed pictures of organs and tissues inside your body. Niobium helps these machines work efficiently and powerfully.

Other Cool Uses

Niobium is also used in other cool ways:

• It can be found in some rocket nozzles, helping them withstand extreme heat.
• It's used in some special coins and jewelry because of its unique properties.
• Scientists use niobium in particle accelerators, which are machines that help us study tiny parts of atoms.

Images for kids

• 

  English chemist Charles Hatchett identified the element columbium in 1801 within a mineral discovered in Connecticut, US.

• 

  Picture of a Hellenistic sculpture representing Niobe by Giorgio Sommer

• 

  A very pure sample of niobium pentachloride

• 

  Ball-and-stick model of niobium pentachloride, which exists as a dimer

• 

  Apollo 15 CSM in lunar orbit with the dark rocket nozzle made from niobium–titanium alloy

• 

  Merlin Vacuum nozzle made from a niobium alloy

• 

  A 3-tesla clinical magnetic resonance imaging scanner using niobium superconducting alloy

• 

  A 1.3 GHz 9-cell superconducting radio frequency cavity made from niobium is on display at Fermilab

• 

  A 150 Years Semmering Alpine Railway Coin made of niobium and silver

See also

In Spanish: Niobio para niños