The name of tungsten is derived Swedish words tung meaning heavy and sten meaning stone. Tungsten was discovered in 1783. Because it is often referred to as Wolfram, it has the chemical symbol W. Wolfram is named after the mineral wolframite, because that is where it was discovered. Wolframite ((Fe, Mn)WO4)means “the devourer of tin” since the mineral interferes with the smelting of tin. The name Wolframite was given to the element in 1747 by Johan Gottschalk Wallerius. The very first name given to Tungsten was Lupi spuma in 1546 when Georg Agricola gave it that name. Lupi spuma means wolf’s froth, and it refers to the fact that tin is utilized, or gobbled up, but tungsten when it is extracted from tin.
Two Spanish chemists and brothers discovered Tungsten: Juan Jos and Fausto Elhuyar. They found it in 1783 in samples of the mineral wolframite. Too this day, tungsten is mined from wolframite and also from scheelite (CaWO4).
Tungsten has an atomic weight of 183.84, atomic number of 74, a melting point of 342C or 6192 F. It boils at 5555 C or 10031 F. Its density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter and it is a solid at room temperature at at 298 K at 298 K. It is in groujp 6 of the periodic table and classified as a metal. Tungsten is the only third transition metal that occurs in biomolecules.Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals as well as the lowest vapor pressure of all metals. It oxidizes easily in air, so it must be protected. It also has the highest tensile strength of any metal.
Tungsten wire is used in light bulbs because it is resistant to high heat. It has the highest melting points of any element, 3410C. It is grayish white metal used in fluorescent light bulbs as a filament. This also makes it practical for use in nuclear reactors. Tungsten is extremely hard and increases as the elasticity and cutting properties of steel. Because of this it is used in protective shields and harnesses as well as in cutting and drilling instruments. It can also be found in the tips of drill bits, in high-speed cutting tools and also in mining machinery. Tungsten is used also in television tubes and in the production of X-rays. Heating elements in electric furnaces are made of tungsten, as are high-speed cutting tools and the nozzles of rocket engines.
When combined with calcium and magnesium, tungsten becomes phosphorescent. Tungsten can also be used a jewelry but it is hard to work with because it is brittle and hard to cut.
