Tungsten, or wolfram, has the highest melting point of any metal. It becomes a liquid at an abrasive temperature of 3,414 °C. It is a very dense metal, and its name comes from the Swedish phrase for "heavy stone". This metal is generally obtained from the mineral wolframite. A compound consisting of carbon and wolfram called wolfram carbide, it is used to harden objects such as drill bits. Its high melting point allows its use in light bulb filaments. This element is also useful in the production of weights, as well as the sinkers used with fishing hooks.
Summary of properties (W)
| Atomic weight | 183.84(1) |
| Discoverer (year) | Elhuyar, Juan José & Fausto (brother) (1783) |
| Natural form | metallic solid (body centered cubic) |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f 14 5d4 6s2 |
| Melting point (ºC) | 3410 |
| Boiling point (ºC) | 5660 |
| Abundance in earth's crust (ppm) | 1.3 |
| Isotope (abundance) | 180W (0.12), 182W (26.50), 183W (14.31), 184W (30.64), 186W (28.43) |
| Density g/cm3 | 19.35 |
| Van der Waals radius (pm) | 218 |
| Covalent radius (pm) | 150 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 2.36 |
| Vaporization enthalpy (kJ/mol) | 799.10 |
| Enthalpy of fusion (kJ/mol) | 52.31 |
| Specific heat capacity (J/g·K) at 25ºC and 1 atm | 0.13 |
| Thermal conductivity (W/cm·K) at 25ºC and 1 atm | 0.740 |
| Oxidation state | +6 |
| Electron affinity (eV) | 0.82 |
| 1st Ionization potential (eV) | 7.8640 |
