TUNGSTENBy: Ashley Weghorst

W

HISTORY 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.

PROPERTIES 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

PROPERTIES CONTINUED 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

Moment1. 180W 179.946701 (5) 0.12 02. 182W 181.948202 (3) 26.50 03. 183W 182.950220 (3) 14.31 1/2 0.11778474. 184W 183.950928 (3) 30.64 05. 186W 185.954357 (4) 28.43 0

AVAILABILITY 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

USES 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.

FUN FACTS 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

SOURCES http://ed.augie.edu/~awaspaas/inorg/tu

ngsten.pdf http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementf

acts/a/tungstenwolfram.htm http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/

periodic/W.html#Chemical http://web1.caryacademy.org/chemistry/

rushin/studentprojects/elementwebsites/tungsten/tungsten_uses.htm