Tantalum capacitors are used in DC circuits. A dot on the body of the capacitor indicates the positive lead. It is closely related to electrolytic capacitor. A tantalum capacitor is comprised of a permeable tantalum center section surronded by tantalum pentoxide. A tatalum wire is inserted into the center section and then extends axially from the component. Tantalum capacitors offer a number of advantages over their electrolytic counterparts. They tend to be considerably smaller for a given capacitance value. They aren't as prone to drying out, and they have less leakage. Their values tend to be more precise and they are much less susceptible to noise. Tandulam capacitors typically range from about 0.05 micrfared up to approximately 200 microfared. It have the highest capacitance values for their size.