Tantalum

Tantalum was discovered in 1802 by Ekeberg, and is used in manufacturing electrolytic capacitors for the electronics industry. The Tantalum capacitors are a common choice for use in cellular phones and other mobile electronics, because of the fact that they have the highest capacitance-to-volume ratio, and are therefore the smallest in size, relative to any other capacitor technology.

Tantalum is mined in the form known as coltan, an ore of columbite and tantalite. It has been estimated that a high percentage of the worlds coltan reserves are located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There has been continued strife in the DRC for many years related to coltan mining and corruption.