Tungsten (also called wolfram) is a chemical element; it has symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found … See more

In its raw form, tungsten is a hard steel-grey metal that is often brittle and hard to work. Purified, monocrystalline tungsten retains its hardness (which exceeds that of many steels), and becomes malleable enough that it can be w… See more

In 1781, Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered that a new acid, tungstic acid, could be made from scheelite (at the time called tungsten). Scheele and Torbern Bergman suggested that it might be possible to obtain a ne… See more

Tungsten has thus far not been found in nature in its pure form. Instead, tungsten is found mainly in the minerals wolframite and scheelite. Wolframite is iron–manganese tungstate (Fe,Mn)WO4, a solid solution of the two min… See more

Tungsten forms chemical compounds in oxidation states from -II to VI. Higher oxidation states, always as oxides, are relevant to its terrestrial occurrence and its biological roles, mid-level oxidation states are often a… See more