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Niobium can turn into a colorful delight!

What is Niobium?
A lump of gray shining crystals with hexagonal facetting
Niobium is the chemical element with atomic number 41, it belongs in the d-block at the fisth group of periodic table. It is a soft, grey, crystalline, ductile transition metal.


About the name
It was formerly known as columbium because it was discovered by English chemist Charles Hatchett in 1801, in a mineral. So he named the mineral columbite and the element columbium, after Columbia. But the columbium discovered by Hatchett was probably a mixture of the new element with tantalum. When scientist studied columbiun were confused over the difference between columbium (niobium) and the closely related tantalum. So they decided to name every new substance they found in columbite or tantalite after Tantalus childen and family. The claimed new elements niobium, pelopium, ilmenium, and dianium were in fact identical to each other or mixtures of the new element with tantalum. So they kept the name Niobium from the daughter of Tantalus.

Niobium's color depending on the applied voltage
Properties
Stantard atomic weight: 92,906
Electron configuration: [Kr] 4d4 5s1
Melting Point: 2750 K
Boiling Point: 5017 K
Density: 8,57 g/cm3
Oxidation States: −3, −1, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5
Electronegativity: 1,6 (Pauling scaling)
Atomic Radiuc: 146 pm (emperical)
Crystal Structure: body-centered cubic (bcc)

What is Niobium's special "power"?
Niobium (and titanium) shows up the phenomenon of elctrochromism, so niobium's color changes by applying voltage on it. For different amount of voltage it coloring differently.


Explanation Niobium Electrochromism
Niobium (and titanium) is metal that react to exposure to oxygen by forming a clear oxide layer on their exposed surfaces. By puting them in the anode of an electrochemical cell (namely anodizing) this reaction to continue further than it would naturally, producing thicker layers of oxide. As the layer thickens, it begins to interrupt the light waves as they pass through and reflect off the metal surface. This interference creates color. This interference creates color. Since the thickness of the oxide controls the color that is produced, and since anodizing controls the thickness, the color produced in a given jewelry piece becomes controllable through the anodizing process.



Niobium Jewels in a variety of colors

Usefullness
They use niobium anodizing for creating jewels in different colors, they also use oxides of Niobium in developing electrochemical sensors. 
In Austria they used anodizing for making euro coins with a variety of colors at 2003, which value are much more than a typical euro coin.









Video about Niobium and its electrochromism



References: wikipedia.com ~ riogrande.com (spot-anodizing-niobium) ~ youtube.com

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