The Element Tungsten

The Element Tungsten
An Internet Hotlist on Tungsten (W)

created by audreylewis09
Stoneleigh - Burnham

Introduction | Basic Information | Chemical Information | Toxicity of Tungsten | Uses for Tungsten

Introduction

Image from http://www.rhunt.f9.co.uk/Museum/Lamps/Early_Tungsten_Lamp.jpg

Name: Tungsten

Symbol: W

Atomic number: 74

Atomic mass: 183.5 amu

Melting point: 3695° K

Boiling point: 5828° K

Density: 19.3 g/cm^3

Solid at room temperature

Light gray/whitish in color

Transition Metal

Was originally discovered as part of wolframite (FeWO3 or MnWO3)

Non-toxic

Bonds with many other elements, including Fe, C, Ca, Mn, and others.

Some uses of tungsten include: light filaments in lightbulbs (see picture), making bullets (as a substitute for lead or other heavy metals), x-ray flourescence, strengthening alloys of other metals, creating some materials for use in electrical or other high-temperature work, and television tubes.

Tungsten is found in nature, at 1.25 mg per kg in the crust of the earth, and 1x10^-4 mg per L in the ocean.

Tungsten, or wolfram, was first identified in 1783 by the Spanish chemists Juan Jose and Fausto Elhuyar, as part of the compound wolframite (FeWO3 or MnWO3). Today, it is still mostly found as part of wolframite or the compound scheelite (CaWO3).

One interesting aspect of this element are that it is has the highest melting point of any metal, at 3695° K. Another interesting piece of information is that in the form tungsten carbide (WC), it is an extremely hard compund, and so in that form is used to make speed cutting tools and rocket ship nozzles. Another interesting point of information is that tungsten has 5 stable isotopes, and an electrical conductivity of 1.74 W/cm K.

The Internet Resources

Basic Information
- Environmental Chemistry - Tungsten - On this site, there was a lot of information about all different aspects of tungsten. This site is good for people who don't know anything about tungsten. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that there were no limits set by the OSHA for permissable exposure. I would rate this site a 4 out of 5 - I liked this site a lot, but none of the information ever went really in depth.
- It's Elemental - The Element Tungsten - This was a good website for basic information - there was a good section about the history and uses of Tungsten, but there was not that much more than the most basic chemical information. One thing I learned from this site was that it literally means 'heavy stone' (tung sten) in Swedish. I would rate this site a 3 out of 5 - it was a good basic site, but there was nothing exceptional about it.
- Tungsten - This site did not have that much information about tungsten - just a couple of paragraphs. This was also just very basic information, which can be good, but there are too many sites like this one, with just very basic (but useful) information. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals. I would rate this site a 2.5 out of five, because although it is a good site, the information is very limited, and not that useful to me (what with the plentifulness of sites just like this one)
- Tungsten (W) - I personally like wikipedia because although the information there is not as verified as information off some other sites, it is a very in-depth site, and has all the information I could find in researching many other sites. One thing I learned from this site was that when steel was alloyed with tungsten, it greatly increased in strength. I would rate this site a 4 out of 5, because it has a lot of good information, just not all verified.
- Visual Elements - Tungsten - This site had some good information, but not a lot. The page that the link opens to has a couple sentences about tungsten, and a link to some chemical data. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten is used to strengthen other metal (in alloys). I would rate this site a 2 out of 5, because it is really very basic information, and most of the other basic information sites have more information than this one.
Chemical Information
- The Radiochemisty of Tungsten - This site was actually a book, only in pdf format, and as such hadmore information than most of the other sites. However, it was hard to understand, being written for the scientific community. One thing I could understand from this site was that most tungsten acids had a bluish tint, if not an outright blue color. I would rate this site a 4 out of 5, because it has a lot of information, but was hard to understand.
- Tungsten - statistics - This site did not have that much about the history of tungsten, or uses for it, and was instead pretty much just a list of statistics about the element, with one paragraph of a description of tungsten. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten has a boiling point of 5933 K. I would rate this site a 4 out of 5, because all the information was good, just all statistics.
- USGS Minerals - Tungsten - Although this site did have some statistics and information, most of the information was from the publications of the USGS, with handy links to the articles. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten can be used as a replacement for lead in bullets. I would rate this site a 3 out of 5 - it was an average site, not too much information, but enough.
Toxicity of Tungsten
- ATSDR - Tungsten Toxicology - This site was mostly about the health risks and toxicity of tungsten. It had an interactive table of contents, and had a lot of information about the health effects of tungsten. One thing I learned from this site was that tungsten was not classified as a carcinogen. I would rate this site a 4 out of 5 because the information in it was all good and useful, but all very esoteric medical information.
- Lenntech - Tungsten -
- Tungsten Toxicity FAQ - This was a site mostly about the toxicity of tungsten, with not really that much information about the element otherwise. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten is a naturally occuring substance. I would rate this site a 3.5 out of 5 because the information in it is all good, but there is not much information about the chemical parts of the element.
Uses for Tungsten
- BBC - Tungsten and Tin Mine to Reopen - This site was a news article about a tungsten and tin mine which was reopening at the time (12.04.07). I liked this site because it gave a perspective of tungsten in the world today, although it did not tell me much about tungsten the element. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten is growing in demand across the world. I would rate this site a 3.5 out of 5 because the most important part of the site was simply the human reaction about the mine, which did not say that much about tungsten the element.
- Chemical and Engineering News - Tungsten - Although this site was a personal view of tungsten, I found it useful in that it told me more about the uses of tungsten. There was a useful little sidebar about the history and basic facts about tungsten. One interesting thing I learned from this site was that tungsten is used in making lightbulb filaments. I would rate this site a 3.5 out of five, because it was very interesting, but was written by a person about their impression of the element.
- International Tungsten Industry Association - Although this site did not have as much on the page that this links to, the site altogether was useful. This site was really useful about the uses of tungsten, which was nice. One interesting thing I learned about tungsten was that it is most frequently found in cemented carbides. I would rate this site a 4 out of five - the information on it was all useful and very informative, but it was hard to find things easily, with all the clicking around on the site.
- The Uses of Tungsten - This site wasnot very useful at all, and was just a bulleted list. One interesting thing I learned was that nozzles for rocket engines were made from tungsten. I would rate this site a 1 out of 5 because it was just too little information.
Content by audreylewis09, alewis@sbschool.org
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listtungstenau.html
Last revised Thu Jan 3 15:16:36 US/Pacific 2008