74 W Tungsten
Transition metal, mass: 183.84 u, 4 stable isotopes (182, 183, 184, 186), abundance rank (earth/space): 26/72Click image to magnify. Tungsten rod with oxidized surface, 80 grams. Original size in cm: 1.3 x 3
Tungsten is a very hard, brittle, silvery heavy metal with a very high melting point. Its most famous application is as filament in light bulbs. More often used than pure tungsten is tungsten carbide, WC, which is a very hard and mechanically enduring ceramic material. This is used for drills, milling machines and even for jewellery. Tungsten carbide is much cheaper than the related carbides of hafnium and tantalum.
Some bacteria use tungsten in enzymes, which makes it the element with the highest number that has a biological role.
Left: Cuboid made of sintered tungsten, 120 grams. Original size in cm: 1.6 x 3.8
Right: Tungsten filament from a light bulb.
Tungsten carbide tool, 1 x 1.5 cm, 4 grams.
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Page last changed on March 05. 2016
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