Swedish chemist who in 1802 discovered the element tantalum. After graduation from the University of Uppsala (1788) and travels in Germany, Ekeberg returned to Uppsala and began teaching (1794), introducing the chemistry of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier. Though he was partly deaf from a childhood infection and had been blinded in one eye by an exploding flask (1801), he carried on admirably. Perhaps his greatest contribution to chemistry was the discovery of the talent of his student Jöns Jacob Berzelius.