The oxygen atoms of the bridging ethoxides are each bonded to both tantalum centres, and these two ligands are cis to one another within the coordination sphere.

To avoid the generation of mixed chloride-ethoxide species, a base such as ammonia is usually added to trap liberated HCl:[8] Salt metathesis using an alkali metal alkoxide can be used as well:[8] The same compound can be prepared electrochemically.

[6][9] The two half-equations and the overall equation[9] for this reaction are: Commercial production of tantalum(V) ethoxide using this electrochemical approach has been employed in Russia.

[9] The compound can also be prepared by direct reaction of tantalum metal with ethanol, in which case the overall equation is the same as that shown above for the electrochemical approach.

Both routes involved the direct reaction of the metal chloride with alcohol in the presence of solvents to give a product of 99.999%+ purity.

Micropatterns can be produced by site-selective deposition using the hydrolysis approach by forming a self-assembled monolayer followed by high temperature annealling.

Direct pyrolysis is convenient for optical applications,[10] where transparent materials with low light loss due to absorption is important,[16] and has also been used to prepare nitride read-only memory.

[11] Electrochromism is the property of some materials to change color when charge is applied,[18] and is the means by which so-called smart glass operates.