Tungsten

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**__ TUNGSTEN __** toc By: Nathaniel Picard-Busky and Alex Barrett

Tungsten is element number 74, and has the elemental symbol of “W.” This element will melt at 3422°C, or 6191.6°F. The only element that can withstand higher temperatures is the diamond form of carbon, which can withstand 3550°C. Tungsten also has one of the highest densities of any element, at a density of 19.25g/cm³. This element has the eighth highest density, just ahead of uranium. The name tungsten comes from combining two Swedish words, tung and sten, and translates to “heavy stone.” The element symbol “W” comes from tungsten's alternate name, wolfram. Tungsten is a steel grey to whitish color in pure form.

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=HISTORY =

 In 1758, Axel Fredrik Cronstedt made the initial discovery of a tungsten alloy that he called “tung-sten” (“heavy stone” in Swedish). Tungsten was formally

 discovered in 1783 by brothers Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar. The Elhuyar brothers also developed the process of obtaining the raw element from an ore

 which includes crushing, cleaning, treating with alkalis, heating, and combining with carbon or hydrogen gas, to result in pure tungsten and carbon dioxide or water. 

=ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE =

 The element tungsten, or rather, its alloy tungsten carbide in an integral part in the production of many current products. The alloy is molded into drill bits and blade to be used to cut almost any type of metal. It is also used in mining machinery used to cut into the walls of mine shafts, often thousands of tungsten-carbide cutting tips will be used on a single machine. Tungsten-carbide is also widely used in the filaments of lightbulbs because of its extremely high melting point. Filaments made of this material often last much longer than other types of metals used for the same purpose. 

 //**__ ﻿A Short Video on the Uses of Tungsten: __**//

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=TUNGSTEN IN NATURE =

 In nature, Tungsten is usually never found as a pure substance, rather in compounds such as wolframite or scheelite. The natural chemical compounds it forms include (Fe, Mn)WO 4, CaWO 4. In terms of geography, Tungsten is found in many parts of the world, but with roughly 42% of it in China. The United States does have some tungsten deposits, including a few near Trumbull, CT.  

Tungsten:



Scheelite compound:



=CHEMISTRY/PHYSICS =

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> Tungsten's atomic number is 74, so the number of electrons is seventy four and the number of protons is seventy four. Tungsten has thirty five isotopes, with neutron numbers ranging from eighty four to 118. Out of these isotopes are five stable ones: tungsten 180, tungsten 182, tungsten 183, tungsten 184, and tungsten 186. The isotope abundances for the five stable isotopes are 0.12% for tungsten 180, 26.5% for tungsten 182, 14.31% for tungsten 183, 30.64% for tungsten 184, and 28.43% for tungsten 186. There is a variety of stable tungsten isotopes and most account for similar percents of mineral abundances of tungsten. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> The atomic mass of tungsten is 183.84 atomic mass units and the density is 19.25g/cm³. An Aufbau Diagram of the electron structure of tungsten is shown below.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> The electronegativity of tungsten is 2.36. The ionization energy per mole of tungsten is 1700kJ. The atomic radius of a tungsten atom is 193pm. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Tungsten is part of the d-block on the periodic table, and therefore one of the transition metals. This metal is part of the sixth energy level and is located in the sixth column. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Tungsten is highly resistant to corrosion and most mineral acids have little effect on this metal. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> The physical properties of tungsten vary depending on the concentration of the element. At high purity levels, tungsten can be cut with a hacksaw and shaped. When the tungsten is impure, the material is extremely difficult to work with. Also, some tungsten minerals fluoresce under ultraviolet light.

=<span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">HUMAN HEALTH AND TUNGSTEN =

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> Tungsten, although not highly toxic, has some health concerns. The primary health concern is respiratory inhalation. Air, water, and food that have normal tungsten levels contain hardly any tungsten and are of no concern. Factories that work with tungsten might contain higher levels of tungsten particulates. The main cause of concern is the abrasive nature of tungsten dust. Treatment for tungsten related exposure to humans is basic. For skin and eye irritation, clean the area, and for skin, prevent continued contact with material. If ingested, drink large amounts of water and induce vomiting. If necessary, get the appropriate medical attention. If tungsten dust is spilled, typical methods of removal include vacuuming and wet dust mops. Although tungsten has a very high melting point, it can light on fire. The Department of Transportation safety classifies tungsten as a flammable solid and the National Fire Protection Association ratings are below. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> The one in the blue square states that tungsten is a slight health hazard. The two in the red square states that tungsten should be stored under 200°F, and the one in the yellow square states that this metal is not stable when heated.

= INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TUNGSTEN =

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> It takes over 8,000 pounds of force to separate two phone books, which two standard cars cannot achieve, and requires two military tanks to pull apart. Tungsten has a tensile strength of over 100,000 psi, so assuming that each tank can pull about 5,000 pounds, it would take a minimum of twenty tanks to break a block of tungsten. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> Also of possible interest is the fact that Connecticut contains a few old tungsten mines near Trumbull. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> Another fact about tungsten is that the metal alloy tungsten carbide is one of the strongest materials known to man. Just look at the video of a tungsten carbide ring versus a blender.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> __**//How to Destroy a Blender://**__ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;"> media type="youtube" key="9z-Zlyw4ov4?fs=1" height="401" width="849"

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=BIBLIOGRAPHY=