74W183.84
Tungsten
Transition metalsHard, shiny metals that conduct heat and electricity well and often form coloured compounds.
[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁴ 6s²
- Atomic number
- 74
- Atomic mass
- 183.84
- Protons
- 74
- Neutrons
- 110 (most common)
- Electrons
- 74
- Shells
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2
- State at 25 °C
- Solid
- Position
- Group 6, period 6
Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)
Discovered byJuan José and Fausto Elhuyar, 1783Carl Wilhelm Scheele: 6 elementsJuan José and Fausto Elhuyar: 1 element
The Elhuyar brothers isolated it in Spain. Its symbol W comes from its other name, wolfram.
Did you know?
- It has the highest melting point of any metal: about 3,422 °C.
- Tungsten carbide is nearly as hard as diamond.
Where it's found
- Wolframite and scheelite ores
What it's used for
- Old light-bulb filaments
- Tungsten carbide drill bits
- Heavy weights
Try it
There's no safe home experiment for Tungsten. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.