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Why did the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry adopt the name niobium in 1950?

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niobium processing Four one-millimetre thick samples of niobium metal foil.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) adopted the name niobium in 1950 to resolve a long-standing controversy regarding the identity of the element.

The element was originally discovered in 1801 by English chemist Charles Hatchett, who named it "columbium" after the United States (Columbia). In 1844, German chemist Heinrich Rose discovered what he believed to be a new element, which he named "niobium" after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus. It was eventually proven that columbium and niobium were the same element. Following this confirmation, international agreement was reached in 1950 to standardize the name as niobium, although the term "columbium" continued to be used within the U.S. metallurgical industry for some time.12