The word tungsten means “heavy stone” in Swedish. The chemical symbol for tungsten is W which stands for Wolfram. The name came from medieval German smelters who found that tin ores containing tungsten had a much lower yield. It was said that the tungsten devoured the tin “like a wolf”. Pure tungsten metal was first isolated by two Spanish chemists, the de Elhujar brothers in 1783. Tungsten is a greyish-white lustrous metal, which is a solid at room temperature. Tungsten has the highest melting point and lowest vapor pressure of all metals, and at temperatures over 1650°C has the highest tensile strength. It has excellent corrosion resistance and is attacked only slightly by most mineral acids.

Tungsten Advantages

• One of the most dense metals, with a density of 19.3 g/cc
• Highest melting point of all metals at 3410°C
• Lowest vapor pressure of all metals with 4.27Pa at 3410°C
• Highest tensile strength of all metals over 1650°C

Tungsten Applications

• useful for glass-to-metal seals since the thermal expansion is about the same as borosilicate glass
• tungsten and its alloys are used extensively for filaments for electric lamps, electron and television tubes, and for metal evaporation work
• electrical contact points for engine distributors
• X-ray targets
• windings and heating elements for electrical furnaces
• missile and high-temperature applications
• high-speed tool steels and many other alloys contain tungsten
• the carbide is important to the metal-working, mining, and petroleum industries
• calcium and magnesium tungstates are widely used in fluorescent lighting
• tungsten salts are used in the chemical and tanning industries
• tungsten disulfide is a dry, high-temperature lubricant, stable to 500°C
• tungsten bronzes and other tungsten compounds are used in paints
• TV tubes (electron tubes)