Periodic Table · element
Tungsten
W · Z 74
- atomic number
- 74
- atomic mass
- 183.84
- notation
- W
- group
- 6: Chromium
- period
- 6
- state0c
- Solid
- state20c
- Solid
- occurrence
- Primordial
- density
- 19.25
- melting pt
- 3422
- boiling pt
- 5555
- discovered
- 1781
- abundance
- 1.25
- bio class
- Ultratrace
- ore grade
- 4000
- ore minerals
- wolframite, scheelite
- mined as
- Primary
bio role
The heaviest element with a known biological role: tungsten enzymes in some archaea and anaerobic bacteria, filling the seat molybdenum takes elsewhere.
extraction
The concentrate is pressure-leached in alkali, purified by solvent extraction and crystallised as ammonium paratungstate (APT), the traded intermediate. APT is calcined to the oxide and reduced with hydrogen to tungsten powder — the metal melts too high to cast — which is pressed and sintered, or carburised into tungsten carbide for tools.
categories
#Transition Metal#Metal
Referenced by
equation
mine
skill
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