How Many Neutrons Does Tungsten Have?

Author Lee Cosi

Posted Aug 17, 2022

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Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. The name tungsten comes from the Swedish language tung sten, which directly translates to "heavy stone". Tungsten is the heaviest element found on the periodic table, with a density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter. It is an extremely hard metal with a Mohs hardness of 8.5. Tungsten is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite, and is extracted by mining and smelting.

One of the most important properties of tungsten is its extremely high melting point of 3422 ˚C. In fact, tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals. This, along with its high density and hardness, makes tungsten an ideal material for many high-temperature applications, such as light bulb filaments, aircraft turbine engines, and electrical contacts.

Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, but how does it get this property? The answer lies in the number of neutrons in its nucleus. Tungsten has 74 protons in its nucleus, but the number of neutrons can vary. The most common isotope of tungsten, which makes up about 81% of natural tungsten, has 118 neutrons. It is this isotope, with its Particularly high number of neutrons, that gives tungsten its high melting point.

So, how many neutrons does tungsten have? The answer is dependent on the isotope, but the most common isotope of tungsten has 118 neutrons. This gives tungsten its high melting point, making it ideal for high-temperature applications.

How many neutrons does tungsten have in its nucleus?

Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is used in making filaments for electric lights, electrodes in gas tungsten arc welding, and in tungsten carbide cutting tools. It has the highest melting point of any pure metal, and for this reason it is often used in high-temperature applications.

Tungsten has w78 neutrons in its nucleus.

How does the number of neutrons in tungsten affect its stability?

Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. A hard and brittle transition metal, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781 and first isolated as a metal in 1783. Its discovery caused a great deal of scientific excitement at the time, as it was the heaviest element known at the time, with an atomic weight of 192.2.

The number of neutrons in an atom affects its stability. Tungsten has 74 protons in its nucleus, so it can have a maximum of 74 neutrons. The most common isotope of tungsten, 180W, has 106 neutrons. This makes it slightly less stable than the next most common isotope, 182W, which has 108 neutrons. The stability of an atom depends on the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. The more protons an atom has, the more stable it is. The more neutrons an atom has, the less stable it is. This is because the neutrons are attracted to the protons in the nucleus. The more neutrons there are, the more they will be attracted to the protons, and the more likely the nucleus is to break apart.

The number of neutrons in tungsten affects its stability, but it is not the only factor. The number of protons in the nucleus also affects stability. The more protons an atom has, the more stable it is. The number of electrons in an atom can also affect its stability. Electrons are attracted to the nucleus. The more electrons an atom has, the more likely it is to break apart.

The most stable isotope of tungsten is 180W. It has the highest number of protons and the lowest number of neutrons. The next most stable isotope is 182W. It has two more neutrons than 180W, but it also has two more protons. This makes it more stable than 180W. The least stable isotope of tungsten is 184W. It has the highest number of neutrons and the lowest number of protons. This makes it the least stable isotope of tungsten.

How does the number of neutrons in tungsten affect its reactivity?

The number of neutrons in an element can affect its reactivity in a few ways. Neutrons help to hold together the nucleus of an atom, and the more neutrons an element has, the more stable its nucleus is. This stability can make an element less reactive, as the nucleus is less likely to break apart. However, neutrons can also make an element more reactive, as they can increase the number of protons in the nucleus. This increase in protons can make the element more electrically charged, and thus more reactive.

What is the most stable isotope of tungsten?

Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. The name tungsten comes from the Swedish language tung sten, which directly translates to "heavy stone". Tungsten is the heaviest element known to be used by any living organism.

The most stable isotope of tungsten is ^182W. It has a half-life of over billion years. That is, over a billion years ago, there were exactly half as many ^182W atoms as there are now. And in another billion years, there will again be half as many ^182W atoms as there are now. ^182W is so stable that it is used as a reference isotope for geologic dating.

Why does tungsten have a higher neutron capture cross section than other elements?

Tungsten has the highest known neutron capture cross section of any element. This means that it is more effective at absorbing neutrons than any other element. This property is important in the operation of nuclear reactors, where tungsten is used in the construction of neutron moderating materials. In a nuclear reactor, tungsten is used to slow down the neutrons produced by the nuclear fission process. This slows the neutrons down enough that they can be absorbed by the fuel, which then produces more energy. The tungsten absorbs the energy of the neutron and prevents it from being released into the environment. This makes tungsten an important component of nuclear reactors and helps to keep them safe.

How does tungsten's neutron capture cross section compare to that of other elements?

Tungsten's neutron capture cross section is about an order of magnitude higher than that of other elements. This means that it is more efficient at absorbing neutrons than other elements. Tungsten is therefore often used in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber.

What is the neutron capture cross section of tungsten-182?

Tungsten-182 has a neutron capture cross section of about 98,000 barns. This extremely high value indicates that tungsten-182 is an effective absorber of thermal neutrons. When a thermal neutron collides with a tungsten-182 atom, it is very likely to be captured by the nucleus. This capture process leads to the production of excited tungsten-183 atoms, which quickly decay back to the ground state through the emission of gamma rays.

The high neutron capture cross section of tungsten-182 makes it an important material for the construction of nuclear reactors. In a nuclear reactor, thermal neutrons are produced by the fission of uranium-235 atoms. These neutrons must be slowed down in order to be effectively absorbed by the fuel rods, which are typically made of uranium-oxide or plutonium-oxide. Tungsten-182 is often used as a moderator material, due to its ability to efficiently absorb thermal neutrons. By moderating the speed of the neutrons, tungsten-182 ensures that more neutrons are absorbed by the fuel rods and fewer neutrons escape from the reactor.

The high neutron capture cross section of tungsten-182 also makes it useful for the production of radioactive isotopes. For example, tungsten-182 can be used to produce molybdenum-99, which is used in medical imaging. In this process, a tungsten-182 atom captures a neutron to form excited tungsten-183. This excited nucleus then decays back to the ground state, emitting a gamma ray in the process. The gamma ray ionizes molybdenum-98 atoms, which subsequently capture electrons to form molybdenum-99.

The neutron capture cross section of tungsten-182 is important for both nuclear reactor design and the production of radioactive isotopes. Tungsten-182’s high neutron capture cross section ensures that it is an efficient moderator material and an effective producer of molybdenum-99.

What is the neutron capture cross section of tungsten-184?

Tungsten-184 has a neutron capture cross section of approximately 295 barns. This means that, when bombarded with neutrons, tungsten-184 will absorb on average 295 out of every 1,000,000 neutrons that collide with it. The resulting tungsten-185 nucleus is unstable and will quickly decay into rhenium-185 through beta decay.

The neutron capture cross section of a given nuclide varies depending on the energy of the neutrons that are bombarding it. Tungsten-184 has a relatively high neutron capture cross section for thermal neutrons, which are those of energies around 0.025 eV. This makes tungsten-184 a good choice for use as a neutron moderator in nuclear reactors. When thermal neutrons collide with tungsten-184 nuclei, they are slowed down and can be more easily captured by other nuclides in the reactor, leading to a chain reaction.

Tungsten-184 also has a high neutron capture cross section for neutrons of intermediate energies, around 10 keV. This makes it useful for neutron radiotherapy, where high-energy neutrons are used to kill cancer cells. When the neutrons collide with tungsten-184 nuclei, they are scattered and lose energy, which makes them less harmful to healthy tissue.

The neutron capture cross section of tungsten-184 can be increased or decreased by doping the tungsten with other elements. For example, adding molybdenum to tungsten increases the neutron capture cross section, while adding chromium decreases it. This allows for the tailor-made production of tungsten alloys with the desired neutron capture properties.

Tungsten-184 is a relatively abundant nuclide, making up approximately 0.28% of natural tungsten. It can be produced artificially through the neutron irradiation of tungsten-183 in a nuclear reactor.

What is the neutron capture cross section of tungsten-186?

Tungsten-186 is an isotope of tungsten with 88 neutrons in its nucleus. It is unstable, with a half-life of only 131.3 days, but is often used in neutron capture cross section measurements because it is readily available and has a high neutron capture cross section. The neutron capture cross section of tungsten-186 is 592 barns. This means that, out of every 10,000 neutrons that interact with tungsten-186, 592 will be captured by the nucleus.

Tungsten-186 is often used in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber. When a neutron collides with a tungsten-186 nucleus, the tungsten-186 will usually capture the neutron. This process increases the tungsten-186's mass slightly and makes it radioactive. The tungsten-186 decays by emitting an alpha particle, which is harmful to living tissue.

The high neutron capture cross section of tungsten-186 makes it useful for absorbing excess neutrons in nuclear reactors. However, the alpha particles emitted by tungsten-186 can also damage reactor components. For this reason, tungsten-186 is usually surrounded by a material that absorbs alpha particles, such as water or concrete.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the atomic radius of a tungsten atom?

162pm

What is the mass number and neutron number of tungsten?

Tungsten has a mass number of 184 and a neutron number of 18.

How many protons neutrons and electrons does tungsten 152 have?

74 protons, 78 neutrons, 74 electrons

What is the mass number of a tungsten atom?

182-184

How many protons neutrons and electrons are in tungsten 182?

74 protons, 108 neutrons, and 74 electrons

Lee Cosi

Lee Cosi

Writer at CGAA

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Lee Cosi is an experienced article author and content writer. He has been writing for various outlets for over 5 years, with a focus on lifestyle topics such as health, fitness, travel, and finance. His work has been featured in publications such as Men's Health Magazine, Forbes Magazine, and The Huffington Post.

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