Niobium Zirconium Alloy

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.

See more Zirconium products. Zirconium (atomic symbol: Zr, atomic number: 40) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 91.224. The number of electrons in each of Zirconium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 10, 2 and its electron configuration is [Kr]4d² 5s². The zirconium atom has a radius of 160 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 186 pm. Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 and first isolated by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1824. In its elemental form, zirconium has a silvery white appearance that is similar to titanium. Zirconium's principal mineral is zircon (zirconium silicate). Zirconium is commercially produced as a byproduct of titanium and tin mining and has many applications as a opacifier and a refractory material. It is not found in nature as a free element. The name of zirconium comes from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium, and from the Persian wordzargun, meaning gold-like.