Tungsten (W)
Tungsten (W) is a transition metal with atomic number 74 and a standard atomic weight of 183.84. At room temperature it is a solid that melts at 3,422 °C and boils at 5,930 °C.
Tungsten key facts
Tungsten at a glance
Identity
| Symbol | W |
|---|---|
| Atomic number (Z) | 74 |
| Atomic weight | 183.84 ± 0.01 (CIAAW 2024) |
| Category | Transition metal |
| Group | 6 |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | d-block |
| CAS number | 7440-33-7 |
Atomic properties
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f14 5d4 6s2 Full: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d4 6s2 |
|---|---|
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2 |
| Oxidation states | +4, +6 Less common: -4, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +5 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 2.36 |
| First ionisation energy | 7.864 eV (758.8 kJ/mol) 2nd: 16.37 eV · 3rd: 26 eV |
| Electron affinity | 0.816 eV |
| Atomic radius (empirical) | 135 pm |
| Covalent radius | 137 pm |
| Van der Waals radius | 218 pm |
Physical properties
| State at 25 °C | Solid |
|---|---|
| Melting point | 3,422 °C · 6,191.6 °F · 3,695.15 K |
| Boiling point | 5,930 °C · 10,706 °F · 6,203.15 K |
| Density | 19.3 g/cm³ |
| Specific heat capacity | 0.132 J/(g·K) |
| Thermal conductivity | 173 W/(m·K) |
| Crystal structure | Body-centred cubic |
Isotopes & abundance
| Natural occurrence | Primordial |
|---|---|
| Radioactive | No |
| Natural isotopes (abundance) | 184W 30.64%, 186W 28.43%, 182W 26.5%, 183W 14.31%, 180W 0.12% (radioactive) |
| Stable isotopes | 4 |
| Known isotopes | 41 |
| Abundance in Earth's crust | 1.25 mg/kg |
| Abundance in seawater | 0.0001 mg/L |
Atomic weights: CIAAW Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024. Other properties: standard reference compilations, checked October 2026; predicted values are marked.
Tungsten electron configuration
Tungsten has 74 electrons. Written in short form, its ground-state configuration is [Xe] 4f14 5d4 6s2 — the electrons of the noble gas xenon, plus 4f14 5d4 6s2.Written out in full: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d4 6s2.
Discovery and name
1783 — Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar (identified by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, 1781) · Spain.
Swedish tung sten, heavy stone; the symbol W is from wolfram (wolframite).
Known for
Has the highest melting point of all metals. Used in light-bulb filaments, hard tungsten carbide tools and radiation shielding.
Isotopes of tungsten
Naturally occurring tungsten is a mix of 5 isotopes. Each has 74 protons; they differ in the number of neutrons:
| Isotope | Protons | Neutrons | Natural abundance | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184W | 74 | 110 | 30.64% | stable |
| 186W | 74 | 112 | 28.43% | stable |
| 182W | 74 | 108 | 26.5% | stable |
| 183W | 74 | 109 | 14.31% | stable |
| 180W | 74 | 106 | 0.12% | radioactive · half-life 1.59 × 10¹⁸ years |
41 isotopes of tungsten are known in our data set (half-lives as published in nuclear data tables).
Tungsten compared with group 6
The other elements in group 6, from top to bottom of the table:
| Element | Z | Atomic weight | Melting point | Boiling point | Density | Electronegativity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chromium | 24 | 51.996 | 1,907 °C | 2,671 °C | 7.15 g/cm³ | 1.66 |
| Molybdenum | 42 | 95.95 | 2,622 °C | 4,639 °C | 10.2 g/cm³ | 2.16 |
| Tungsten | 74 | 183.84 | 3,422 °C | 5,930 °C | 19.3 g/cm³ | 2.36 |
| Seaborgium | 106 | [269] | — | — | 35 g/cm³ (pred.) | — |