Niobium is a metallic element.

Chemical symbol Nb, atomic number 41, atomic weight 92.90638, belonging to periodic system Ⅴ B group. In 1801, C. Hachett from England separated an oxide of a new element from niobium and named it columbium. Niobium is a gray white metal.

Niobium is a shiny gray metal with paramagnetism, belonging to the 5 groups on the periodic table of elements. High purity niobium metal has high ductility, but it hardens with increasing impurity content. The capture cross section of niobium for thermal neutrons is very low, so it is very useful in the nuclear industry.