Tungsten

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the chemical element. For other uses, see Tungsten
(disambiguation).
Tungsten, 74W

Tungsten
Pronunciation /ˈtʌŋstən/ (TUNG-stən)
Alternative name wolfram, pronounced: /ˈwʊlfrəm/ (WUUL-frəm)
Allotropes α-tungsten (common), β-tungsten
Appearance grayish white, lustrous
Standard atomic weight Ar°(W)
183.84±0.01[1]
183.84±0.01 (abridged)[2]
Tungsten in the periodic table
Hydrogen
Helium
Lithium
Beryllium
Boron
Carbon
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Fluorine
Neon
Sodium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Silicon
Phosphorus
Sulfur
Chlorine
Argon
Potassium
Calcium
Scandium
Titanium
Vanadium
Chromium
Manganese
Iron
Cobalt
Nickel
Copper
Zinc
Gallium
Germanium
Arsenic
Selenium
Bromine
Krypton
Rubidium
Strontium
Yttrium
Zirconium
Niobium
Molybdenum
Technetium
Ruthenium
Rhodium
Palladium
Silver
Cadmium
Indium
Tin
Antimony
Tellurium
Iodine
Xenon
Caesium
Barium
Lanthanum
Cerium
Praseodymium
Neodymium
Promethium
Samarium
Europium
Gadolinium
Terbium
Dysprosium
Holmium
Erbium
Thulium
Ytterbium
Lutetium
Hafnium
Tantalum
Tungsten
Rhenium
Osmium
Iridium
Platinum
Gold
Mercury (element)
Thallium
Lead
Bismuth
Polonium
Astatine
Radon
Francium
Radium
Actinium
Thorium
Protactinium
Uranium
Neptunium
Plutonium
Americium
Curium
Berkelium
Californium
Einsteinium
Fermium
Mendelevium
Nobelium
Lawrencium
Rutherfordium
Dubnium
Seaborgium
Bohrium
Hassium
Meitnerium
Darmstadtium
Roentgenium
Copernicium
Nihonium
Flerovium
Moscovium
Livermorium
Tennessine
Oganesson
Mo
↑
W
↓
Sg
tantalum ← tungsten → rhenium
Atomic number (Z) 74
Group group 6
Period period 6
Block d-block
Electron configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d4 6s2[3]
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2
Physical properties
Phase at STP solid
Melting point 3695 K (3422 °C, 6192 °F)
Boiling point 6203 K (5930 °C, 10706 °F)
Density (near r.t.) 19.25 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.) 17.6 g/cm3
Heat of fusion 52.31 kJ/mol[4][5]
Heat of vaporization 774 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity 24.27 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure
P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T (K) 3477 3773 4137 4579 5127 5823
Atomic properties
Oxidation states −4, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6 (a mildly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity Pauling scale: 2.36
Ionization energies
1st: 770 kJ/mol
2nd: 1700 kJ/mol
Atomic radius empirical: 139 pm
Covalent radius 162±7 pm
Color lines in a spectral rangeSpectral lines of tungsten
Other properties
Natural occurrence primordial
Crystal structure body-centered cubic (bcc)Body-centered cubic crystal structure
for tungsten
Thermal expansion 4.5 µm/(m⋅K) (at 25 °C)
Thermal conductivity 173 W/(m⋅K)
Electrical resistivity 52.8 nΩ⋅m (at 20 °C)
Magnetic ordering paramagnetic[6]
Molar magnetic susceptibility +59.0×10−6 cm3/mol (298 K)[7]
Young's modulus 411 GPa
Shear modulus 161 GPa
Bulk modulus 310 GPa
Speed of sound thin rod 4620 m/s (at r.t.) (annealed)
Poisson ratio 0.28
Mohs hardness 7.5
Vickers hardness 3430–4600 MPa
Brinell hardness 2000–4000 MPa
CAS Number 7440-33-7
History
Discovery and first isolation Juan José Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar[8] (1783)
Named by Torbern Bergman (1781)
Symbol "W": from Wolfram, originally from Middle High German wolf-rahm 'wolf's
foam' describing the mineral wolframite[9]
Isotopes of tungstenve
Main isotopes Decay
abundance half-life (t1/2) mode product
180W 0.120% 1.8×1018 y α 176Hf
181W synth 121.2 d ε 181Ta
182W 26.5% stable
183W 14.3% stable
184W 30.6% stable
185W synth 75.1 d β− 185Re
186W 28.4% stable
188W synth 69.78 d β− 188Re
Category: Tungsten
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Tungsten (also called wolfram)[10][11] is a chemical element; it has symbol W and
atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally on Earth almost
exclusively as compounds with other elements. It was identified as a new element in
1781 and first isolated as a metal in 1783. Its important ores include scheelite
and wolframite, the latter lending the element its alternative name.

The free element is remarkable for its robustness, especially the fact that it has
the highest melting point of all known elements, melting at 3,422 °C (6,192 °F;
3,695 K). It also has the highest boiling point, at 5,930 °C (10,706 °F; 6,203 K).
[12] Its density is 19.30 grams per cubic centimetre (0.697 lb/cu in),[13]
comparable with that of uranium and gold, and much higher (about 1.7 times) than
that of lead.[14] Polycrystalline tungsten is an intrinsically brittle[15][16][17]
and hard material (under standard conditions, when uncombined), making it difficult
to work into metal. However, pure single-crystalline tungsten is more ductile and
can be cut with a hard-steel hacksaw.[18]

Tungsten occurs in many alloys, which have numerous applications, including

incandescent light bulb filaments, X-ray tubes, electrodes in gas tungsten arc
welding, superalloys, and radiation shielding. Tungsten's hardness and high density
make it suitable for military applications in penetrating projectiles. Tungsten
compounds are often used as industrial catalysts.

Tungsten is the only metal in the third transition series that is known to occur in
biomolecules, being found in a few species of bacteria and archaea. However,
tungsten interferes with molybdenum and copper metabolism and is somewhat toxic to
most forms of animal life.[19][20]