Tungsten has a discovery story that unfolds across several decades and involves multiple European chemists. Its journey from a mysterious mineral to a recognized element highlights the collaborative and iterative nature of scientific progress. The path to fully understanding this unique metal was not a single event but a series of crucial identifications and isolations.
The Isolation of Tungsten
The definitive isolation of tungsten occurred in 1783, primarily through the efforts of two Spanish chemists, Juan José Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar. Working in Bergara, Spain, at the Royal Basque Society, the brothers succeeded in obtaining the pure metal. Their method involved reducing tungstic acid, which they had extracted from the mineral wolframite.
This achievement confirmed tungsten as a distinct chemical element, separate from other known substances. The Elhuyar brothers’ rigorous experimental work provided the first tangible evidence of tungsten in its metallic form. Their isolation solidified its place in the periodic table.
Identifying the Tungsten Minerals
Before the Elhuyar brothers isolated tungsten, other scientists had made important observations regarding minerals containing the element. In 1781, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele investigated a mineral then known as “heavy stone,” which is now called scheelite. From this mineral, Scheele successfully isolated a new acid, which he named tungstic acid. Although Scheele recognized the potential for a new metal within this acid, he was unable to reduce it to its metallic form.
Around the same period, in 1779, the Anglo-Irish chemist Peter Woulfe had also suspected the presence of a new element within the mineral wolframite. Concurrently, Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman also concluded that a new metal could potentially be derived from tungstic acid. These early investigations into tungsten-bearing minerals laid the groundwork by identifying the chemical precursors for its isolation.
Naming and Initial Recognition
The element tungsten carries two names, each reflecting its origins and the minerals from which it was derived. The name “tungsten” itself comes from the Swedish words “tung sten,” meaning “heavy stone,” a term originally used to describe the mineral scheelite due to its notable density. This name gained widespread use in English-speaking countries.
The alternative name, “wolfram,” is predominantly used in many European languages and is the basis for the element’s chemical symbol, W. This name originates from the mineral wolframite. The term “wolfram” is believed to derive from the German “wolf rahm,” or “wolf cream,” a historical miner’s term referring to the way the mineral appeared to “devour” tin during smelting, much like a wolf consumes its prey. The recognition of these distinct minerals and the eventual isolation of the metal revealed a unique substance with properties that set it apart from previously known elements.