Tungsten (W)
"The Melting Point, the toughest hero who can withstand the most intense heat, from light bulb filaments to rocket nozzles."
A memorable persona to anchor W in your mind.
19.25
Grams per cm³
3414
Celsius (°C)
210
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Tungsten is found in the filament in an old incandescent light bulb.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1783
Discovered By
Fausto & Juan José Elhuyar
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from the Swedish ''tung sten'' meaning heavy stone."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
183.84 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
5555°C
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f145d46s2
1st Ionization Energy
7.98 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Tungsten is a hard, steel-gray metal with the highest melting point."
Did You Know?
It has the highest melting point of all known elements, at a blistering 3,422 °C (6,192 °F).
Its chemical symbol, W, comes from its German name, 'Wolfram', which was derived from the mineral wolframite.
The filament in traditional incandescent light bulbs is made of a very thin coil of tungsten wire.
Because of its hardness and high density, it is used in armor-piercing ammunition and to make super-tough cutting tools.