Discovered in: 1925

Discovered by: Walter Noddack, Ida Tacke and Otto Berg of Germany

Description: Named from the Greek name for the Rhine River, rhenium is a silvery-white metal that will slowly tarnish in moist air and is affected by certain acids. Rhenium is a very dense, very rare metal and has the third highest melting point of the elements as well as a very high density. It is used in high temperature alloys, especially in filaments and flash bulbs for photography. It is also used in electrical contact points, thermocouples and as a catalyst. A rhenium-molybdenum alloy is a superconductor at very low temperatures.

Biological Rating: No known benefits for life processes in plants and animals. Biological Benefits: Rhenium has no known biological use.

Percentage Amount in the Human Body: Near 0 %

Obtained from: There are no known rhenium minerals, and it mainly occurs in molybdenum and beryllium minerals as an impurity. Rhenium is obtained from molybdenite in porphyry copper mines and recovered as a by-product of molybdenum processing. It is mined in the USA, Chile, Canada and Russia.