Tungsten

Ryan Derreck Simpson

Tungsten 74 Transition Metal Lane Apt. 1s2, 2s2, 2p6, 3s2, 3p6, 3d10, 4s2, 4p6, 4d10, 4f14, 5s2, 5p6, 5d4, 6s2 d Block, Periodic Table 00074 Atomic Number: 74 Atomic Mass: 183.84

Objective: -Tungsten wants a job as a light bulb filament. It keeps its composure even in the hottest of temperatures, as it has the highest melting point of any element. While this is it's ideal job, it is multitalented, and could get a job as a glass-to-metal seal, a television tube, high speed tools, a lubricant, a nozzle for a rocket engine, or an X-ray target, among many other uses. -The original name of Tungsten was “wolfram”, which explains why its chemical symbol is W. The name “wolfram” was given to it because German smelters found that tin ore had a much lower yield. They said it devoured tin ore “like a wolf”. It's current name means “heavy stone” in Swedish. Pure tungsten was discovered in 1783 by Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar. These brothers were Spanish chemists who found it in samples of the mineral Wolframite. While others before them discovered it in compounds, these two brothers were the first to find pure tungsten.

Honors and Awards: -Tungsten is known for having the highest melting point of all elements. This makes it especially useful in light bulbs, because it can handle the extreme heat inside the bulb. Additionally, it has the lowest vapor pressure of all metals and the highest tensile strength. It also is very resistant to corrosion. -In addition to being used as a light bulb filament, it is useful to humans as tubes in televisions, lubricants, and nozzles for rocket engines, among other things. -For humans, it is particularly valuable in the metal-working, mining, and petroleum businesses.

Experience and Skills: -Tungsten can survive in very extreme conditions, so it is “currently” used in light bulbs, as the filaments -It's skill are sometimes “out of this world”: nozzles for the rockets engines are made of tungsten steel -Tungsten keeps everything running smoothly: tungsten disulfide is used as a lubricant -It can be very “colorful” at times: tungsten bronze and other tungsten compounds can be found in paints

References: -Carbon refers to Tungsten as “one of the toughest elements I've ever bonded with”. When they are joined together, they form Tungsten carbide (WC), a very hard compound. It is used in drill bits and cutting tools. -Calcium and Magnesium call Tungsten “a very bright element”. Tungsten can form compounds with both of them to be used in fluorescent light bulbs. -Sulfur is a third reference for Tungsten, and it says that Tungsten often is able to “avoid friction and keep everything running smoothly”. This is true because Tungsten disulfide is used as a dry, high-temperature lubricant, that can be as hot as 500 degrees C while still being stable.

Citations: http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele074.html http://www.tungsten.com/mtstung.html http://web1.caryacademy.org/chemistry/rushin/StudentProjects/ElementWebSites/tungsten/tungsten_uses.htm