Tantalate
/ˈtæn.tə.leɪt/noun
A salt or ester containing tantalum, typically derived from tantalic acid.
Did you know?The element tantalum was named for the Greek king Tantalus, whose punishment was eternal inability to reach water or food; its oxide’s resistance to acids inspired the mythological reference.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Τάνταλος (Tántalos)
“Tantalus, the mythological king punished in the underworld”
Classical mythology
Greek
τάνταλος
“A figure associated with unreachable water and food, the source of the idea of tantalizing frustration”
1802
English
tantalum
“Name given to the newly recognized chemical element, referring to its resistance to dissolving in acids”
19th Century
English
tantalic
“Relating to tantalum or its compounds”
19th Century
English
tantalate
“A salt or ester of tantalum, formed with the chemical suffix -ate”
Modern English
English
tantalate
“A chemical compound containing tantalum in an oxyanion or related form”