Coltan

Coltan is an ore containing columbite and tantalite minerals, mined chiefly for tantalum and also a source of niobium.

Tantalite: A tantalum-rich oxide mineral in the columbite group. It is the principal tantalum-bearing mineral in much coltan ore.
Tantalum capacitor: An electrolytic capacitor that uses tantalum metal for its high capacitance in a compact volume. These components are a major end use of tantalum recovered from coltan.
Great Lakes region: A region of Central and East Africa surrounding the African Great Lakes. It contains major coltan-producing areas, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
Conflict mineral: A mineral whose extraction or trade helps finance armed conflict or enables serious abuses. Coltan became a prominent example in campaigns over minerals linked to violence in Central Africa.
Columbite: An iron–manganese niobium oxide mineral in the columbite group. It contributes niobium and commonly occurs with tantalite in coltan.
Tantalum powder: Finely divided tantalum metal used in capacitors and other specialized products. Smelting and refining coltan can produce the powder used in electronic components.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: A country in Central Africa with extensive mineral resources, including coltan deposits. Its eastern provinces are prominent sources of coltan and sites of contested mining.
Second Congo War: A 1998–2003 war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo involving multiple African states and armed groups. Coltan trade was one resource economy discussed in accounts of the war and its aftermath.
Tantalum: A dense, corrosion-resistant chemical element with atomic number 73. Its value drives most commercial extraction of coltan.
Tantalum carbide: A very hard ceramic compound of tantalum and carbon, used in cutting tools and high-temperature materials. It is one industrial destination for tantalum beyond electronics.

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