Niobium (Nb)
Element 41 · Transition metal · Solid at 25 °C · Group 5, Period 5
Niobium becomes superconducting at low temperatures; niobium alloys wind the magnets of MRI machines and particle accelerators.
On the periodic table, niobium sits in group 5 in period 5. It is one of 38 elements classified as a transition metal, and at room temperature (25 °C) it is a solid.
Transition metals occupy the wide d-block in the middle of the table. As a family they are hard, dense, high-melting metals that conduct heat and electricity well. Their partly filled d-orbitals let many of them take several oxidation states, form vividly colored compounds, and act as catalysts — which is why so much of industry, and so much of biology, runs on this block.
Properties of niobium
| Atomic number (Z) | 41 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Nb |
| Atomic mass | 92.906 |
| Category | Transition metal |
| Group | 5 |
| Period | 5 |
| Block | d-block |
| Metal / nonmetal | Metal |
| State at 25 °C | Solid |
| Electron configuration | [Kr] 4d4 5s1 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.6 |
| Melting point | 2,477 °C (2,750.15 K / 4,490.6 °F) |
| Boiling point | 4,744 °C (5,017.15 K / 8,571.2 °F) |
| Density | 8.57 g/cm³ |
Position in the periodic table
Niobium shares group 5 with Vanadium (V), Tantalum (Ta), Dubnium (Db). Elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons, so they tend to behave alike chemically — comparing them is one of the fastest ways to see periodic trends in action.
Within this dataset, its melting point is the #7 highest of the 102 elements with measured melting points.
Physical properties
Niobium melts at 2,477 °C (2,750.15 K / 4,490.6 °F) and boils at 4,744 °C (5,017.15 K / 8,571.2 °F), giving it a liquid range of about 2,267 °C at standard pressure.
Its density is 8.57 g/cm³.
See also: the interactive periodic table, how to read the periodic table, periodic trends.