Tungsten: The mighty meme-traded metal

The toughest element in the universe You won’t find a mightier metal than tungsten, which is harder, denser, and more heat resistant than almost any other element on the periodic table. Its unique chemical properties have made it a key ingredient in everything from light bulbs to rocket engines to nuclear fusion reactors—and a flashpoint for geopolitical tensions for the past century. You also won’t find a metal more beloved by meme traders, who have recently adopted tiny tungsten cubes as [their latest absurdist asset class](. After investing their savings into intangible internet objects like cryptocurrencies and NFTs, some finance influencers began shelling out $3,500 for 4-inch cubes of the heavy metal that [weigh an astonishing 42 lbs (19 kg)](. On Twitter and Reddit, they’ve rallied around a simple slogan: “We like the cube.” Strap on your mining helmets—we’re about to unearth the truth about tungsten. 🐦 [Tweet this]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Tungsten January 19, 2022 The toughest element in the universe --------------------------------------------------------------- You won’t find a mightier metal than tungsten, which is harder, denser, and more heat resistant than almost any other element on the periodic table. Its unique chemical properties have made it a key ingredient in everything from light bulbs to rocket engines to nuclear fusion reactors—and a flashpoint for geopolitical tensions for the past century. You also won’t find a metal more beloved by meme traders, who have recently adopted tiny tungsten cubes as [their latest absurdist asset class](. After investing their savings into intangible internet objects like cryptocurrencies and NFTs, some finance influencers began shelling out $3,500 for 4-inch cubes of the heavy metal that [weigh an astonishing 42 lbs (19 kg)](. On Twitter and Reddit, they’ve rallied around a simple slogan: “We like the cube.” Strap on your mining helmets—we’re about to unearth the truth about tungsten. 🐦 [Tweet this]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [19.3 g/cm3:]( Density of tungsten, making it [one of the densest elements]( on the periodic table alongside gold, platinum, and uranium [7.5:]( Tungsten’s ranking on the Mohs hardness scale, which tops out at 10 [9:]( Mohs’ hardness scale ranking of tungsten carbide, an ultra-tough ceramic made by combining tungsten and carbon [6,152°F (3,410°C):]( Melting point of tungsten, the [highest of all the elements]( except for carbon [$6 billion-$9 billion:]( Size of the global market for tungsten [1,800 lbs (816 kg):]( Weight of an actual, physical 14-inch tungsten cube that is also available for sale as an NFT, in an instance of meme trading devouring its own tail Reuters/Yuri Maltsev Because science! How to refine tungsten ore --------------------------------------------------------------- Tungsten doesn’t naturally occur in its pure, metallic state. Instead, miners dig up the tungsten ores scheelite and wolframite, pulverize them, and subject the resulting dust to [an arduous refining process]( that involves roasting it at 1,450°F (800°C) and boiling it in hydrochloric acid. The pure tungsten powder that comes out of this process then gets simultaneously squished and electrocuted until it becomes a dense bar of metal. Fun fact! Tungsten is [Swedish for “heavy stone”]( (tung = heavy and sten = stone). Some languages, including Swedish, instead refer to the element by its German name, [wolfram](, which is why its symbol on the periodic table is W. Listed The many uses of tungsten --------------------------------------------------------------- Tungsten’s peculiar density and hardness make it the perfect metal for a number of niche applications when you need something that’s compact, heavy, and tough, such as: 💡 Light bulb filaments 🚀 Rocket engine nozzles and nose cones 🔪 Knives, drills, and saws 🎣 Fishing sinkers 🎯 High-end darts 🏎️ Ballast for Formula 1 cars, yachts, and planes ☢️ Paneling the inside of nuclear fusion reactors 🏆 Filling the center of counterfeit gold bars 🔫 Armor-piercing bullets and shells 💍 Scratch-resistant wedding bands Brief history [16th century:]( German miners encounter a mystery element in tin ore, which bubbles up into a gray, hairy-looking slag during smelting. They name the substance “wolfram,” which roughly translates to “wolf froth.” [1755:]( Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt finds an unusually heavy mineral in an iron mine and names it “tungsten,” or “heavy stone.” [1910:]( American physicist William David Coolidge develops a method for spinning tungsten into wire filaments, which become ubiquitous in incandescent light bulbs. Thomas Edison begins buying tungsten for his bulbs from [an Arizona mine run by Wild West legend Buffalo Bill](. [1944:]( During the World War II “Wolfram Crisis,” the US and UK embargo Spain to pressure fascist dictator Francisco Franco to stop supplying Nazi Germany with tungsten for its armor-piercing weapons (pdf, link in Spanish). Franco eventually agrees, hobbling Germany’s war machine and hastening the end of the war. [1945:]( American physicist Harry Daghlian accidentally drops a tungsten carbide brick onto a nuclear bomb core at the Los Alamos research lab. The resulting nuclear reaction exposes him to a lethal level of radiation—and makes him the first victim of the “[demon core](” that would go on to kill another physicist in a similar lab accident the following year. [2003:]( The US Air Force proposes a space weapon that would orbit Earth and drop 20-foot (6.1 m) long tungsten rods, which are so heavy that they’d land with the force of a nuclear bomb. Giphy/US National Archives Pop quiz Which of these materials can scratch tungsten? DiamondCobaltQuartzTitanium Correct. Only the mighty diamond can put a scratch on tungsten. Incorrect. We regret to report that quartz is actually the flimsiest material of the bunch. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Charted China’s outsized control of the tungsten market --------------------------------------------------------------- Most tungsten comes from China. The Nanling Mountains in southern China [contain about half the world’s tungsten deposits](, and in 2020 the country accounted for about 85% of global tungsten production. Chinese mining companies mine tungsten ore directly, but they also produce tungsten as a byproduct of the refining process for [rare earth metals]( like molybdenum. [A bar chart showing tungsten production by country in 2020. China produced 69,000 metric tons of tungsten, Vietnam produced 4,300 metric tons, Russia produced 2,200 metric tons, Bolivia produced 1,400 metric tons, Rwanda produced 1,000 metric tons, Austria produce 890 metric tons, Spain produced 800 metric tons, Portugal produced 618 metric tons, and other countries produced a combined 1,000 metric tons.] China essentially [sets the price]( of global tungsten through the [caps it places on domestic tungsten production](. When China curbed tungsten production and exports in 2010, prices skyrocketed. After [disputes with the World Trade Organization](, China eased export restrictions and increased production, causing tungsten prices to fall. [A line chart showing the average global tungsten price from 1990 to 2018. The price averaged around $16,500 per metric ton in 1990, spiked to above $45,000 per metric ton in 2006, dropped down to around $30,000 per metric ton in 2009, jumped above $60,000 per metric ton in 2012, and slid back to $30,000 per metric ton in 2018.] Quotable “We’re just deprived of physical totems of our affection, and so tungsten fills that hole in our hearts.” —Nic Carter, founder of the blockchain-focused venture capital firm Castle Island Ventures, describing why crypto bros who cannot physically touch their NFT collections [love tungsten cubes so much](. YouTube Watch this! Drop the cube --------------------------------------------------------------- We can’t imagine you could possess a tungsten cube for longer than five minutes and not want to do what these Australian YouTubers have done: drop it repeatedly from great heights onto a variety of colorful objects to see what it can smash. (We could also understand the desire to try [pancaking the cube in a massive hydraulic press]( capable of shattering diamonds, but we’re not sure we ourselves would try [shooting it with the largest guns imaginable]( to see if bullets can dent it.) Giphy/commotion.tv Poll Would you buy a tungsten cube? [Click here to vote]( Yes. We like the cube.No thanks. I’m all set for desk tchotchkes.I just want to hold one someday. 💬 let's talk! In last week’s poll about [unfriending](, 70% of you would rather mute a person you see IRL than disconnect completely. ✏️ [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20tungsten%20&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) 🎲 [Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Nicolás Rivero]( (likes the cube), edited by [Liz Webber]( (prefers a less dense desk ornament), and produced by [Jordan Weinstock]( (‘s heart is the only thing with a higher melting point). [facebook]([twitter]([external-link]( The correct answer to the quiz is Diamond. Enjoying the Quartz Weekly Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! Want to advertise in the Quartz Weekly Obsession? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. Not enjoying it? No worries. [Click here]( to unsubscribe. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States