Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hey guys,
for my science assignment this term i have to ask a question to you all and write about your response....
my question is about the element tungsten, i was wondering why some elements have different boiling and melting points, and why tungsten's is the highest also i was wondering what is the texture of tungsten and what is the degree of hardness or softness (on moths scale and also qualitatively)
thanks heaps

Hi,

This is the life sciences forum and I think you would have better chance of a complete answer from the physical sciences forum which includes chemistry.

The melting point of metals is a function of their electron shell configuration and mass, and W, the symbol for tungsten, has a very high melting point. That's why it was used as a filament in incandescent light bulbs.

The hardness of W on the Moh scale you can find on the web. It is a metal but I have never seen a solid piece of it--only the tiny filaments in light bulbs which are gray and dull looking. I have a saw blade that is tipped with tungsten carbide and I think it is close to diamond in hardness.

Good luck,

SciB

Searching Tungsten on Google will turn up all sorts of facts about the element, including pictures of it. The following website has interesting images and descriptions of the many things tungsten can be used for.

http://periodictable.com/Elements/074/

-Karen