Consider the following statements regarding “Tantalum”: 1. Recently researchers of from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar has detected the presence of tantalum in the Sutlej River sand in Punjab. 2. It is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, bluish-grey transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? |ForumIAS

Q. Consider the following statements regarding “Tantalum”:
1.Recently researchers of from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar has detected the presence of tantalum in the Sutlej River sand in Punjab.
2.It is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, bluish-grey transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

[A] 1 only

[B] 2 only

[C] Both 1 and 2

[D] Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Notes:

Explanation: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar has detected the presence of tantalum, a rare metal, in the Sutlej River sand in Punjab.

Tantalum – A chemical element with symbol Ta and atomic number 73 in the periodic table. It is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, bluish-grey transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant.
It has a melting point of 5,463 °F (2,996 °C), the 4th highest of all metals. It is one of the 12 critical and strategic minerals according to the annual report of the Union Ministry of Mines for 2020-21.

Source: FORUMIAS

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