About

Tungsten (from Swedish 'tung sten' meaning 'heavy stone', symbol W from its German name Wolfram) has the highest melting point of all metallic elements. This property makes it perfect for the filaments in incandescent light bulbs and vacuum tubes. It is also extremely dense and hard, used in armor-piercing ammunition and industrial cutting tools (as tungsten carbide).

Atomic Properties

Atomic Number74

Atomic Weight183.84 u

Neutrons (common)110

Electron Configuration[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁴ 6s²

Full Configuration1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d⁴ 6s²

Electrons per Shell2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2

Electronegativity2.36

Electron Affinity78.6 kJ/mol

Oxidation States+6, +5, +4, +2

Covalent Radius146 pm

Ionic Radius62 pm

Periodic Table Position

Group6

Period6

BlockD

Chemical SeriesTransition metals

Physical Properties

State at STPsolid

AppearanceLustrous silvery-white metal

Crystal Structurebcc

Magnetic Orderingparamagnetic

Speed of Sound4,620 m/s

Poisson Ratio0.28

Thermal Properties

Melting Point3,695 K

Boiling Point5,930 K

Triple Point3,695 K

Thermal Expansion0 1/K

Thermal Conductivity173 W/(m·K)

Specific Heat0.132 J/(g·K)

Molar Heat24.27 J/(mol·K)

Heat of Fusion35 kJ/mol

Heat of Vaporization824 kJ/mol

Abundance

In Earth's Crust1.3 ppm

In Ocean0 ppm

In Solar System0 ppm

In Universe0.001 ppm

Discovery

Discovered byJuan José Elhuyar, Fausto Elhuyar

Discovery Year1,783

Occurrenceprimordial

CAS Number7440-33-7

Electron Configuration

Energy

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Isotopes of Tungsten

Symbol ▲	Mass (u) ▲	Abundance ▲	Half-life ▲	Decay Mode ▲
¹⁸⁰W	179.946700	0.12%	1.59 Ey	Alpha Decay
¹⁸²W	181.948200	26.5%	Stable	Stable
¹⁸³W	182.950220	14.31%	Stable	Stable
¹⁸⁴W	183.950930	30.64%	Stable	Stable
¹⁸⁶W	185.954360	28.43%	Stable	Stable

Interactive Visualization

Explore the 3D Bohr model of Tungsten in our interactive viewer.

View 3D Model of Tungsten