Wolframite or scheelite is leached with alkali to sodium tungstate, precipitated as ammonium paratungstate, calcined to WO3, and reduced with hydrogen at ~800 °C to tungsten powder — then hot-pressed and sintered for bar.
Research Elements W · atomic number 74 Transition metal · period 6, group 6 [Xe] 4f14 5d4 6s2 Shells: 2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2 Valence electrons: 2 in the outer shell (6s2), and 4 in 5d4 Green dots are the outer shell's s and p electrons. Softer green dots are the d electrons of transition metals, and the d and f electrons of lanthanides and actinides: they often take part in bonding, but not always. Grey dots are the core. Ground-state configuration from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database (A. Kramida, Yu. Ralchenko, J. Reader and the NIST ASD Team). Abundance is the mole fraction of the element found as that isotope on Earth; digits in parentheses are the uncertainty in the last digits. Masses and abundances from NIST, Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions (J. S. Coursey, D. J. Schwab, J. J. Tsai and R. A. Dragoset, National Institute of Standards and Technology).Tungsten
Electrons
How it's obtained
Natural isotopes
Isotope Relative atomic mass Abundance 180W 179.9467108(20) 0.0012(1) 182W 181.94820394(91) 0.2650(16) 183W 182.95022275(90) 0.1431(4) 184W 183.95093092(94) 0.3064(2) 186W 185.9543628(17) 0.2843(19)