Tungsten: a metal as rare as family

MATERIALS
Rarely let's hear a guy running and screaming "I want a Tungsten bike" or a young adult satisfied with the new Tungsten wheels he bought. That's not to say that among the materials that make up our lives, the tungsten is not present among us, for example, in the filaments of incandescent lamps.
Is a chemical element with atomic number 74 that is in group 6 of the periodic table of elements. Its symbol is W.
It is a rare metal in the earth's crust is in the form of oxide and salts in certain minerals. It is steel-gray, very hard and dense, has a melting point highest of all metals and boiling highest of all known elements.
And where can we find this "rare" metal? In its pure state is used in the manufacture of filaments for electric lamps, electric ovens resistance to reducing or neutral atmosphere, electrical contacts for car dealers, also as anti-tank projectile (arrow) due to its high melting point and density anodes X-ray tubes and television.
It has important uses in alloys for cutting tools at high speed, such as strawberries for dental instruments (W2C), in the manufacture of spark plugs and in the preparation of varnishes (WO3) and mordant in dyeing, in the tips of the pens and the production of alloy steels and harder.
For TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) is to use non-fusible electrode (not melted), for electric arc between the workpiece and the machine, as it supports 3410 ° C when pure (used for welding aluminum or magnesium, alternating current).
In the military, was a strategic material and has been on the list of most coveted products from the Second World War (used to shield the tips of anti-tank missiles, such as AP ammo, and in the breastplate of the armor ). For example, the U.S. government maintains a national reserve of six months with other products considered necessities for survival.