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Tungsten carbide
Hard, dense and stiff chemical compound / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC) is a chemical compound (specifically, a carbide) containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes through sintering[7] for use in industrial machinery, cutting tools, chisels, abrasives, armor-piercing shells and jewelry.
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Names | |
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IUPAC name
Tungsten carbide | |
Other names
Tungsten(IV) carbide Tungsten tetracarbide | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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ChemSpider | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.031.918 ![]() |
EC Number |
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PubChem CID |
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RTECS number |
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UNII | |
UN number | 3178 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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Properties | |
WC | |
Molar mass | 195.85 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | Grey-black lustrous solid |
Density | 15.6 g/cm3[1] |
Melting point | 2,785–2,830 °C (5,045–5,126 °F; 3,058–3,103 K)[2][3] |
Boiling point | 6,000 °C (10,830 °F; 6,270 K) at 760 mmHg[3] |
Insoluble | |
Solubility | Soluble in HNO 3, HF[2] |
1·10−5 cm3/mol[2] | |
Thermal conductivity | 110 W/(m·K)[4] |
Structure | |
Hexagonal, hP2[5] | |
P6m2, No. 187[5] | |
6m2[5] | |
α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 120° | |
Trigonal prismatic (center at C)[6] | |
Thermochemistry | |
Heat capacity (C) |
39.8 J/(mol·K)[4] |
Std molar entropy (S⦵298) |
32.1 J/mol·K |
Related compounds | |
Other anions |
Tungsten boride Tungsten nitride |
Other cations |
Molybdenum carbide Titanium carbide Silicon carbide |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Tungsten carbide is approximately three times as stiff as steel, with a Young's modulus of approximately 530–700 GPa,[4][8][9][10] and is twice as dense as steel. It is comparable with corundum (α-Al
2O
3) in hardness, approaching that of a diamond,[7] and can be polished and finished only with abrasives of superior hardness such as cubic boron nitride and diamond powder, wheels and compounds. Tungsten carbide tools can be operated at cutting speeds much higher than high-speed steel (a special steel blend for cutting tools).[7]
Tungsten carbide powder was first synthesized by H. Moissan in 1893, and the industrial production of the cemented form started 20 to 25 years later (between 1913 and 1918).[8]