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 for use in industrial machinery, cutting tools, chisels, abrasives, armor-piercing shells and jewelry.
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 twice as stiff as steel, with a Young's modulus of approximately 530–700 GPa,[4][7][8][9] and is twice as dense as steel. It is comparable with corundum (α-Al
2O
3) in hardness and can be polished and finished only with abrasives of superior hardness such as cubic boron nitride and diamond powder, wheels and compounds.