Niobium Aluminide NbAl

See more Aluminum products. Aluminum (or Aluminium) (atomic symbol: Al, atomic number: 13) is a Block P, Group 13, Period 3 element with an atomic weight of 26.9815386. It is the third most abundant element in the earth's crust and the most abundant metallic element. Aluminum's name is derived from alumina, the mineral from which Sir Humphrey Davy attempted to refine it from in 1812. Aluminum was first predicted by Antoine Lavoisier 1787 and first isolated by Hans Christian Øersted in 1825. Aluminum is a silvery gray metal that possesses many desirable characteristics. It is light, nonmagnetic and non-sparking. It stands second among metals in the scale of malleability, and sixth in ductility. It is extensively used in many industrial applications where a strong, light, easily constructed material is needed. Although it has only 60% of the electrical conductivity of copper, it is used in electrical transmission lines because of its light weight. Pure aluminum is soft and lacks strength, but alloyed with small amounts of copper, magnesium, silicon, manganese, or other elements, it imparts a variety of useful properties.

See more Niobium products. Niobium (atomic symbol: Nb, atomic number: 41) is a Block D, Group 5, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 92.90638. The number of electrons in each of niobium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 12, 1 and its electron configuration is [Kr] 4d⁴ 5s¹. The niobium atom has a radius of 146 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 207 pm. Niobium was discovered by Charles Hatchett in 1801 and first isolated by Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand in 1864. In its elemental form, niobium has a gray metallic appearance. Niobium has the largest magnetic penetration depth of any element and is one of three elemental type-II superconductors (along with vanadium and technetium). Niobium is found in the minerals pyrochlore, its main commercial source, and columbite. The word Niobium originates from Niobe, daughter of mythical Greek king Tantalus.