A powder comprising a niobium complex and lithium, wherein the powder contains niobium in an amount of 25 mass % or more and 75 mass % or less, a proportion of niobium in metal elements contained in the powder is 0.775 or more and 0.950 or less in terms of mass ratio, and a niobium dissolution ratio of the powder containing a niobium complex and lithium defined by the following formula (1) is 80% or more:
- Niobium
-
- dissolution
-
- ratio
-
- (
- %
- )
- =
- Nb
- w
- ×
- 100
- /
- Nb
- HF
- (
- 1
- )
- wherein Nbw and NbHF are a mass of niobium calculated by the following procedure:
- the powder containing a niobium complex and lithium is weighed, and the weighed powder is dissolved in 8 times its mass of water at 25° C., and then, a resultant is filtered through a membrane filter with an opening of 0.20 μm, and a concentration of niobium in an obtained filtrate is measured with an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), and a mass of niobium eluted into the filtrate from per unit mass of the weighed powder calculated from the concentration of niobium in the obtained filtrate and a mass of the filtrate is defined as Nbw, and
- the powder containing a niobium complex and lithium is weighed, and to the weighed powder, hydrofluoric acid is added to dissolve the powder, and after cooling, a concentration of niobium in an obtained solution is measured with an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), and a mass of niobium contained per unit mass of the weighed powder calculated from the concentration of niobium in the obtained solution and a volume of the solution is defined as NbHF.