Discovered in: 1783

Discovered by: Juan Jose and Fausto Elhuijar of Spain

Description: Named from the Swedish word meaning "heavy stone", tungsten is a gray-white metal that is stable and unaffected by air, acids or bases. It has the highest melting point of any element and often is used in alloys that must resist great amounts of heat, such as light-bulb filaments. Tungsten also is used in television tubes, paints, high-temperature lubricants, tanning leather and fluorescent lighting. Tungsten is commonly alloyed with carbon forming tungsten carbide which has a very high melting point and increased hardness. It is used in high-strength applications, such as furnaces, missiles, dental drills and other cutting tools. The symbol for tungsten, W, comes from tungsten's Latin name Wolfram. The Latin name is derived from the tungsten mineral wolframite.

Biological Rating: Beneficial for full health in plants and animals.

Biological Benefits: Tungsten is used by a small number of enzymes in a fashion similar to molybdenum.

Percentage Amount in the Human Body: Near 0 %

Obtained from: It is chiefly obtained from the minerals scheelite and wolframite. Ferberite and huebnerite are other tungsten-bearing minerals. Tungsten is is mined in China, Russia, Portugal, Austria and Bolivia. China is reported to have about 75% of the world's tungsten supply.