3. What does the element's name mean?
Tungsten originates from the Swedish words 'tung sten'
meaning heavy stone. It was formerly called Wolfram
hence the symbol of the element - W.
Where was it discovered?
Tungsten was discovered in Spain.
Who discovered it?
Tungsten was discovered by the Spanish brothers Fausto
and Juan Jose de Elhuyar in 1783.
4. What is it's state at room temperature?
Solid metal , Transition metal
What is it's color?
gray to white
What is it's melting and boiling points?
Melting Point: 3410.0 °C - 3683.15 °K
Boiling Point: 5660.0 °C - 5933.15 °K
What is it's density?
@ 293 K: 19.3 g/cm3
5. Are any of these properties important in the common
uses of the element?
Yes the melting and boiling point are important in the
common use of the element.
Also that it is a transition metal
What are the major isotopes, and are there any
important uses of any radioactive isotope?
Tungsten has five naturally occurring isotopes:
Isotope Mass / u Abundance / % Spin Magnetic Moment
1. 180W 179.946701 (5) 0.12 0
2. 182W 181.948202 (3) 26.50 0
3. 183W 182.950220 (3) 14.31 1/2 0.1177847
4. 184W 183.950928 (3) 30.64 0
5. 186W 185.954357 (4) 28.43 0
6. Where is the element found?
Tungsten is found in certain minerals including wolframite ((Fe,
Mn)WO4) and scheelite (CaWO4). Most of the world's tungsten, about
75%, comes from China. Other major deposits of Tungsten can be
found in California, Colorado, South Korea, Bolivia, Russia and
Portugal.
What do people have to do to get the element?
Tungsten is a naturally occurring element that is commonly found
in rocks in the ground, with most of the supply coming from
China. It can’t be formed or destroyed.
How much does the element typically cost?
Tungsten costs $35 per one kilogram when used in the industry or it
costs $250 per 100 grams when taken in small chunks
7. What are the primary uses of the element by itself?
Tungsten is used in incandescent light bulb filaments as the
source of light. It is also used in fluorescent light bulbs,
television tubes, and x-ray production. Tungsten is combined with
carbon to make tungsten carbide (WC) which is used to make the
tips of drill bits, high-speed cutting instruments and mining
machinery.
What are the major compounds containing this
element, and what are they used for?
Tungsten occurs in wolframite, (Fe, Mn)WO4, scheelite, CaWO4,
ferberite, FeWO4, and huebnerite, MnWO4. Tungsten is produced
commercially by reducing tungsten oxide with carbon or
hydrogen.
8. Tungsten’s corrosion resistance is excellent.
Tungsten is by far the most dense element you
can buy for less than precious metal prices. It's
exactly the same density as gold, but something
like a hundred or more times cheaper. Lead is
cheaper still, but tungsten is almost twice as
dense, and in applications where size counts,
tungsten is used. This includes counterweights in
aircraft control surfaces, for example.
Electron Configuration: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10
4s2p6d10f14 5s2p6d4 6s2
Atomic number: 74