Tungsten
💡 In Your World
Tungsten is a metal of extremes. It has the highest melting point of all elements (3422 °C / 6192 °F), making it perfect for applications that involve intense heat. Its most famous use was as the filament in old-style incandescent light bulbs. Today, its incredible hardness and density make it ideal for armor-piercing projectiles and super-hard materials like tungsten carbide, used for cutting tools and drill bits.
📖 The Discovery Story
In 1781, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered that a new acid could be made from the mineral scheelite. In 1783, Spanish brothers Fausto and Juan José Elhuyar found an acid made from wolframite that was identical to Scheele's tungstic acid. They succeeded in isolating the new metal by heating this acid with charcoal. The name "tungsten" comes from the Swedish words tung sten, meaning "heavy stone." The chemical symbol W comes from the mineral's original German name, wolfram.
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Melting Point | 3422 °C / 6192 °F |
| Boiling Point | 5930 °C / 10706 °F |
| Electron Configuration | [Xe] 4f¹⁴5d⁴6s² |
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | 0.00013% |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
Tungsten metal is relatively non-toxic and biologically inert. However, chronic exposure to tungsten dust is an occupational hazard and can lead to respiratory problems. Some tungsten compounds have shown higher toxicity than the pure metal.