TANTALUM Ta Z = 73

This element was discovered by A. G. Ekeberg at Uppsala, Sweden. The name comes from Tantalus, who was a god, father of Niobe.

Ionization energies
TaI 7.9 eV, TaII 15.5 eV.

Behavior in stars
TaI is present in someBa stars (Lambert 1985, Smith 1984).

Isotopes
Ta has two stable isotopes, Ta¹⁸⁰ and Ta¹⁸¹, as well as 16 short-lived isotopes and isomers. In the solar system Ta¹⁸¹ occurs with a frequency of 99.99%.

Origin
Ta¹⁸⁰ can be produced by the p process, the r process or the s process, Ta¹⁸¹ only by the r process and the s process.

Published in "The Behavior of Chemical Elements in Stars", Carlos Jaschek and Mercedes Jaschek, 1995, Cambridge University Press.