Tantalum is a chemical element; it has symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as tantalium, it is named after Tantalus, a figure in Greek mythology. Tantalum is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant. It is part of the refractory metals group, which are widely used as components of strong high-melting-point alloys. It is a group 5 element, along with vanadium and niobium, and it always occurs in geologic sources together with the chemically similar niobium, mainly in the mineral groups tantalite, columbite and coltan.

टैंटेलम (Tantalum) आवर्त सारणी के पंचम संक्रमण समूह का तत्व है। इसका केवल एक स्थिर समस्थानिक, द्रवमानसंख्या 181, प्राप्त है। इसके चार कृत्रिम रेडियधर्मी समस्थानिक भी ज्ञात हैं, जिनकी द्रव्यमान संख्या 176, 177, 180 और 182 है। इस तत्व की खोज 1872 ई. में एकबर्ग (Ekeberg) नामक वैज्ञानिक ने की थी।