Tungsten

Located at Group 6 and Period 6 of the Periodic Table is one of the toughest thing found in nature, which is super dense that it is almost impossible to melt. This is Tungsten.

First discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1781 and first isolated in 1783 by  Jose and Fausto Elhuyard.

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Actually, the credit of discovering Tungsten belongs to a German Scientist called Johann Gottlob Lehmann. Where Johann Gottlob Lehmann was studying a mineral known as Wolframite in 1761. He founded Tungsten. However, no matter what method he tried, he still couldn't recognize Tungsten as a new element. So eventually, he gave up his discovery credit.

About 20 years later, which is in 1781, Carl Wilhelm Scheele also studied this mineral called Wolframite. This time, it was a success. Wilhelm successfully created a new element which looks like a white acidic powder, which is Tungstic Acid ( H₂WO₄). However, Wilhelm still cannot isolate Tungsten.

Finally, Tungsten was isolated by the Elhuyar brothers, Jose Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar in 2 years later the discovery of Tungstic Acid, which he discovered it in 1783. The Elhuyar brothers went to Sweden to study Minerals.

Elhuyar Brothers

After they returned to Spain, the Elhuyar Brothers worked together on a number of Projects. One of their projects involve the research of Wolframite. The Elhuyar brothers created a white acidic powder, the one which Wilhelm found, and finally found a way to isolate pure Tungsten from the acid. So, the Elhuyar brothers were officially known as the isolator of the element.

Now, Tungsten can be isolated by heating Tungsten Oxide with Aluminium, where the Aluminium absorbs the oxide to form Aluminium Oxide and successfully isolates Tungsten. The method The Elhuyar brothers used to isolate Tungsten is also still used now, which is to pass Hydrogen gas to Hot Tungstic Acid, also to isolate Tungsten.

Field Emitters

Tungsten has never been mined in United States in 1996. Instead, the largest producers of Tungsten in the world is China, Russia and Portugal. Detailed information about uses of Tungsten in the United States has never been made to the public, mainly to protect the companies that are using Tungsten as their main resources.

Tungsten is one of the rare earth metals, where there is only 1.5 parts per million of Tungsten that is believed to be existing in the Earth crust.

However, Tungsten's boiling and melting point is the highest of any metal, so it is mostly used in heating elements and field emitters, which requires elements that has high boiling point.

Atomic Number : 74
Name : Tungsten
Latin Name : Wolfram
Electrons per Shell : [ 2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2 ]
Discoverer : Carl Wilhelm Scheele ( 1781 )
Isolator : Jose Elhuyard and Fausto Elhuyard ( 1783 )
Element's : Atomic Mass : 183.84 u
                  : Density : 19.25 g/cm³
                  : Type : Transition Metal
Chemical Properties :

Tungsten - 184

• Almost inactive metal
• Doesn't combine with oxygen in room temperatures
• Rusts at temperatures above 400 degrees Celsius
• Doesn't dissolve in Nitric Acid
• 46 isotopes : 3 of them are :
     Tungsten - 182 : Protons : 74
                              : Neutrons : 108
                              : Electrons : 74
  ( Half Life : Stable )
  
     Tungsten - 183 : Protons : 74
                              : Neutrons : 109
                              : Electrons : 74
  ( Half Life : Stable )
  
     Tungsten - 184 : Protons : 74
                              : Neutrons : 110
                              : Electrons : 74
  ( Half Life : Stable )

Physical Properties : 

• Hard
• Brittle
• Steel gray or nearly white color
• Good conductor of electricity
• Melting Point : 3410 degrees Celsius ( 6170 Fahrenheit )
• Boiling Point : 5900 degrees Celsius ( 10600 Fahrenheit )

How Tungsten got its name?

Tungsten got its name from the Swedish word ' Tung Sten ', meaning Heavy Stone. For its element symbol ' W ', it comes from its first mineral of discovery, Wolframite. Which was named Wolfram.

Wolframite

 Although Tungsten already got its name, some minerologist still like to refer Tungsten as Wolfram.

Uses

Tungsten is used to make alloys, mainly to improve Tungsten's hardness, strength, elasticity and ability to stretch for steels.

Spacecraft taking off

About 90% of Tungsten is used in mining, construction, electrical and metalworking machinery. These includes high - speed tools, heating elements in furnaces, and also for making parts of aircraft, spaceships, and equipment used in radio, television, radar, rock drills and more.

Tungsten - made missiles

Sometimes, Tungsten is also a good element to make bullets and missiles too.

THIS IS THE END OF TUNGSTEN

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