A History Of Niobium

Posted on by Brian Colwell

Niobium, element 41 on the periodic table, has journeyed from a mysterious component in mineral specimens to become an essential material in modern technology and industry. Named after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus from Greek mythology, this lustrous, grey metal embodies a fascinating tale of scientific discovery, international controversy, and technological innovation. From its initial identification in 1801 by Charles Hatchett to its current status as a critical mineral for advanced materials, niobium’s story reflects the evolution of chemistry, metallurgy, and industrial development. Today, niobium strengthens the steel in our infrastructure, enables superconducting magnets in medical equipment and particle accelerators, and promises to revolutionize battery technology for electric vehicles. This comprehensive history traces niobium’s path from laboratory curiosity to strategic resource, revealing how a single element has helped shape our modern world.

Find out more about niobium here. Be sure to check out all other critical raw materials (CRMs), as well.

A History Of Niobium

The history of niobium spans over two centuries, marked by scientific discoveries, naming controversies, technological breakthroughs, and industrial developments. From its initial discovery in a museum specimen to its current applications in cutting-edge technologies, niobium has evolved from a chemical curiosity to an essential material for modern civilization. Brazil’s dominance in production, the development of specialized applications, and ongoing research into new uses continue to shape the trajectory of this remarkable element.

Chronology

  • 1734 – John Winthrop the Younger, first governor of Connecticut, sends a mineral specimen containing niobium from near New London, Connecticut to England, which ends up in the Hans Sloane collection at the British Museum [1]
  • 1801 – Charles Hatchett discovers niobium in the columbite mineral from the British Museum collection and names the element “columbium” after Columbia, the poetic name for America [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  • 1809 – William Hyde Wollaston incorrectly concludes that columbium (niobium) and tantalum are the same element after analyzing their oxides [3, 4, 5]
  • 1844 – Heinrich Rose distinguishes columbium (niobium) from tantalum by their different valence states (niobium exhibiting +3 and +5 states, tantalum only +5) [3, 8]
  • 1846 – Heinrich Rose renames columbium as “niobium” after Niobe, daughter of Tantalus [4, 5, 15]
  • 1864 – Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand produces metallic niobium by reducing niobium chloride with hydrogen; Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac produces metallic tantalum, helping to distinguish it from niobium [9, 10, 11]
  • 1865 – Scientific findings clarify that niobium and columbium are the same element, distinct from tantalum [5, 15]
  • 1866 – Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac develops a procedure to separate tantalum from niobium using potassium double fluoride salts [3, 8, 11, 12, 7, 13]
  • 1905 – W. von Bolton produces niobium in a pure, ductile state [6]
  • 1907 – Werner von Bolton produces very pure niobium by reducing a heptafluoroniobate with sodium [13]
  • Early 1920s – Niobium first used commercially in incandescent lamp filaments; discovery that niobium improves the strength of steel; niobium first added to tool steel around 1925 [5, 14, 6]
  • 1933 – Niobium first used to stabilize austenitic stainless steel [6]
  • 1939 – F.M. Becket and R. Franks demonstrate that niobium strengthening reduces reliance on conventional hardeners, improving weldability [6]
  • 1949 – The name “niobium” chosen for element 41 at the 15th Conference of the Union of Chemistry in Amsterdam [2, 5, 15]
  • 1950 – International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) officially adopts “niobium” as the element name [5, 4, 16]
  • 1953 – Last paper published by American Chemical Society with “columbium” in its title, marking the end of niobium’s naming controversy in American publications [5, 15]
  • 1954 – Niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) discovered to be a superconductor [17]
  • 1955 – Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM) founded in Brazil to produce niobium [18, 19]
  • 1958 – Norman F. Tisdale of Molybdenum Corporation of America adds 0.01-0.034% niobium to carbon steel as grain refiner for improving toughness; development of niobium-based alloys for aerospace applications begins [6, 20]
  • 1961 – Eugene Kunzler and coworkers at Bell Labs discover that niobium-tin exhibits superconductivity in strong electric currents and magnetic fields [5, 21, 14, 22, 23, 17]
  • 1962 – Ted Berlincourt and Richard Hake discover that niobium-titanium alloys are suitable for applications up to 10 teslas [22, 23]
  • 1965 – Moreira Salles family takes control of CBMM, the world’s largest niobium producer [18]
  • 1976 – Last new niobium mine put into production globally [24]
  • 1979 – Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração establishes the Charles Hatchett Award for research on niobium and its alloys [2, 25, 26]
  • 1992 – Over US$1 billion worth of clinical magnetic resonance imaging systems constructed with niobium-titanium wire [5]
  • 1998 – Element 114 (flerovium) discovered at Flerov Laboratory, named after the lab that advanced niobium research [27]
  • 2006 – 44,500 tonnes of niobium mined globally, with 90% used in high-grade structural steel [5]
  • 2008 – Record non-copper current density of 2,643 A mm−2 at 12 T and 4.2 K claimed for niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) [17]
  • 2011 – CBMM, the major niobium producer, sells 15% stake to Chinese steelmakers and 15% to Japanese-South Korean joint venture [28]
  • 2013 – CBMM controls 85% of world’s niobium production [5]
  • 2014 – Global economic activity requiring superconductivity, largely based on niobium compounds, valued at about five billion euros [22, 23]
  • 2016 – CBMM produces 90,000 tonnes of ferroniobium equivalent per year [18]
  • 2017 – Niobium included in EU’s list of 27 critical raw materials [29]
  • 2018 – Toshiba, Sojitz, and CBMM sign joint agreement to explore niobium titanium oxide for batteries [30]
  • 2019 – CBMM invests R$150 million per year in R&D for niobium applications, equivalent to 3% of revenue [28]
  • 2021 – Toshiba, Sojitz, and CBMM sign joint development agreement for mass production of niobium-based batteries [30]
  • 2024 – Toshiba, Sojitz, and CBMM unveil prototype electric bus with niobium titanium oxide battery in Araxá, Brazil; World’s first niobium-based anode production facility opens in Araxá, capable of producing 2,000 tonnes per year [31, 32, 33, 34]
  • 2025 – SCiB Nb battery cells with niobium titanium oxide expected to launch commercially [32, 33]

Final Thoughts

The history of niobium demonstrates how a single element can transform from an academic curiosity to a cornerstone of modern technology. What began with Charles Hatchett’s analysis of a museum specimen has evolved into a strategic resource that strengthens our infrastructure, enables medical diagnostics through MRI machines, and powers the quest for clean energy. The element’s journey through naming controversies, separation challenges, and technological breakthroughs mirrors the broader development of chemistry and materials science. Today, as Brazil maintains its dominance in production and new applications emerge in batteries and advanced materials, niobium continues to shape our technological future. The establishment of awards like the Charles Hatchett Award and ongoing research into applications ranging from superconducting quantum computers to ultra-fast charging electric vehicle batteries ensures that niobium’s story is far from complete. As we face challenges of sustainability and technological advancement, this remarkable element stands ready to play an even greater role in building tomorrow’s world.

Thanks for reading!

References

[1] Charles Hatchett FRS (1765-1847), chemist and discoverer of niobium | Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London – https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.2003.0216

[2] Charles Hatchett – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Hatchett

[3] Early history – TIC – https://tanb.org/niobium/early-history/

[4] Niobium | Properties, Uses, & History of the Chemical Element | Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/science/niobium

[5] Niobium – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niobium

[6] Niobium processing | History, Ores, Mining, & Extraction | Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/technology/niobium-processing

[7] Niobium – Early history – Niobium Canada – https://niobiumcanada.com/niobium-early-history/

[8] Separation and isolation of tantalum and niobium from tantalite using solvent extraction and ion exchange – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304386X1400156X

[9] Niobium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table – https://periodic-table.rsc.org/element/41/Niobium

[10] Niobium – https://www.chemicool.com/elements/niobium.html

[11] Tantalum – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum

[12] US2976114A – Process for separating niobium and tantalum from each other – https://patents.google.com/patent/US2976114A/en

[13] Niobium Price, Occurrence, Extraction and Use | Institute for Rare Earths and Metals – https://en.institut-seltene-erden.de/seltene-erden-und-metalle/strategische-metalle-2/niob/

[14] Let’s Get to Know the Element Niobium with Atomic Number 41 – https://optimumphysics.com/2023/04/atom-numarasi-41-olan-niyobyum-elementini-taniyalim/

[15] Facts About Niobium | Live Science – https://www.livescience.com/34682-niobium.html

[16] Niobium – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/niobium

[17] Niobium–tin – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niobium–tin

[18] Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companhia_Brasileira_de_Metalurgia_e_Minera%C3%A7%C3%A3o

[19] CBMM – Leading Niobium Products & Technology Supplier – https://cbmm.com/en

[20] Rational Alloy Design of Niobium-Bearing HSLA Steels – https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/10/3/413

[21] Niobium-Based Superconductors: Fundamentals – https://niobium.tech/en/pages/gateway-pages/pdf/technical-papers/fundamentals_of_niobium-based_superconductors

[22] History of superconductivity – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_superconductivity

[23] Superconductivity – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconductivity

[24] Ferroniobium and HSLA steel – Edison Group – https://www.edisongroup.com/insight/ferroniobium-and-hsla-steel/23394/

[25] Charles Hatchett Award: Niobium Innovations – https://niobium.tech/en/this-is-niobium/charles-hatchett-award

[26] The Charles Hatchett Award for niobium research – BetaTechnology – https://www.betatechnology.co.uk/the-charles-hatchett-award

[27] IUPAC and the Naming of Elements – https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ci-2019-0314/html?lang=en

[28] The niobium controversy : Revista Pesquisa Fapesp – https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/the-niobium-controversy-2/

[29] Recovery of niobium and tantalum by solvent extraction from Sn–Ta–Nb mining tailings – https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ra/d0ra03331f

[30] Toshiba demos next-gen li-ion battery with niobium titanium oxide anodes – https://etn.news/energy-storage/toshiba-lithium-battery-niobium-titanium-oxide-anodes

[31] Toshiba, Sojitz and CBMM Unveil an Ultra-Fast Charging Electric Bus Prototype – https://news.toshiba.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2024/Toshiba-Sojitz-and-CBMM-Unveil-an-Ultra-Fast-Charging-Electric-Bus-Prototype-Powered-by-Next-Generation-Lithium-ion-Batteries-with-Niobium-Titanium-Oxide-Anodes/default.aspx

[32] SCiB™Nb | SCiB™ Rechargeable battery | Toshiba – https://www.global.toshiba/ww/products-solutions/battery/scib/next/nb.html

[33] Toshiba’s Ultra-Fast Rechargeable SCiB Batteries Get 50% Capacity Boost – https://insideevs.com/news/724140/toshiba-scib-niobium-batteries/

[34] CBMM, Echion open world’s largest niobium anode production plant in Brazil – https://www.mining.com/cbmm-echion-open-worlds-largest-niobium-anode-production-plant-in-brazil/