Niobium
A chemical element named after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus, because niobium is chemically similar to tantalum and was considered its daughter element
The Meaning of Niobium
Niobium was discovered in 1801 by the English chemist Charles Hatchett, who originally named it columbium. The element was later renamed niobium after Niobe, the daughter of King Tantalus, because of its close chemical relationship to tantalum — the two elements are so similar that they were difficult to distinguish and were initially thought to be the same substance. In Greek mythology, Niobe was a queen of Thebes who boasted that her fourteen children — seven sons and seven daughters — made her superior to the goddess Leto, who had only two children, Apollo and Artemis. Enraged by this hubris, Apollo killed all seven of Niobe's sons with his arrows, and Artemis killed all seven daughters. Niobe, shattered by grief, wept without ceasing until the gods transformed her into a rock on Mount Sipylus, from which water perpetually flows — a geological formation that ancient travellers claimed to have seen. The naming of niobium as the daughter element of tantalum thus preserves the mythological family relationship across the periodic table. Niobium is used in superconducting alloys, jet engines, and surgical implants.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Niobium was named as the daughter of tantalum because the two elements are so chemically similar they were mistaken for the same substance for over forty years
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Titanium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after the Titans of Greek mythology to reflect its exceptional strength, discovered in 1791 and now essential to aerospace and medical engineering
Tantalum
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after King Tantalus of Greek mythology because of the element's tantalising inability to absorb acids, just as Tantalus could never reach the water and fruit surrounding him
Selenium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, chosen because of its chemical similarity to the previously discovered element tellurium, which was named after the Earth
Palladium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after both the asteroid Pallas and the Palladium, the sacred wooden image of Pallas Athena that protected the city of Troy
Promethium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A radioactive chemical element named after the Titan Prometheus who stole fire from the gods, reflecting both the element's production in nuclear reactors and the dangers of nuclear technology
Helium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after Helios, the Greek god of the sun, because it was first detected in the solar spectrum before being found on Earth
Iridium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, because its salts produce a striking variety of colours
Uranus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The seventh planet from the Sun, named after Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky and the earliest supreme deity in the mythological genealogy
Saturn
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The sixth planet from the Sun, named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time identified with the Greek Titan Kronos, father of Zeus
Aphrodite
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The planet Venus is named after the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, because it is the brightest and most beautiful object in the night sky after the Moon
Pluto
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A dwarf planet named after Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld identified with the Greek Hades, chosen because of its extreme distance and darkness at the edge of the solar system
Mars
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The fourth planet from the Sun, named after Mars, the Roman god of war identified with the Greek Ares, because its reddish colour suggested blood and conflict