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Which Material has the Highest Melting Point?
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Tungsten, used as a filament for light bulbs, is
the chemical with the second-highest melting
point.
Carbon, found in coal deposits, is the chemical
with the highest melting point.
The Earth's inner core of iron remains solid
because it is under extreme pressure.
This is a difficult question to answer because new materials and alloys are being created all the
time, and the material with the highest melting point now could change as new compounds are
synthesized. Currently the record-holder is tantalum hafnium carbide (Ta4HfC5), a refractory
compound with a melting point of 4488 K (4215 C, 7619 F). By mixing together various
metals to create alloys, even higher melting points can be achieved. Materials with such
exceptional physical properties are sometimes referred to as superalloys.
The chemical element with the highest melting point is carbon, at 43004700 K(40274427 C,
72808000 F). The second highest melting point of the chemical elements is tungsten, at
3695 K (3422 C, 6192 F), which is why it is used as a filament for light bulbs. Sometimes
tungsten is called the element with the highest melting point because carbon does not
actually melt under atmospheric pressure, rather it sublimates (transitions directly from a
solid to a gas) at 4000 K (3727 C, 6740 F).
When very high melting points are desired in a piece of hardware, sometimes ceramics are
used. One example is during Project Pluto in the 1950s, when American scientists attempted
to create a nuclear-powered ballistic missile with an unshielded, gigawatt-level reactor. The
reactor produced such immense heat that a ceramic chassis and components were necessary.
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Under extreme pressures, the melting point increases. The Earths inner core of iron, for
example, has a temperature of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 C (>9,000 F), yet it is solid,
because the pressure there is about 3 million times greater than on the surface. Conversely,
when the pressure is decreased, so does the melting point. On the surface of Mars, pressure is
so low that any liquid water would evaporate almost immediately. Thi s i s why we have
observed evidence of small temporary springs being created on Mars but no permanent bodies
of water.
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Article Details
Written By: Michael Anissimov
Edited By: Bronwyn Harris
Last Modified Date: 08 June 2014
Copyright Protected:
2003-2014 Conjecture Corporation
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Bronze Beari ng Lanthanum Hi ghest Mel ti ng Poi nt Lead Al l oys
Hi gh Temperature Al l oys
Bronze Beari ng Lanthanum Hi ghest Mel ti ng Poi nt Lead Al l oys
Hi gh Temperature Al l oys
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Carbon can withstand heat up to 6000 F.
Between gold and iron, which has the higher mp and bp?
Which element is a green poisonous gas: chlorine, bromine,
lithium, neon or iron?
I need a material that has a melting point past 5000 degrees for an idea of
mine, but I can see that it doesn't exist yet. Could you estimate how long it
will take for scientists to create such a metal?
There are so many high melting points, it is crazy!
How can anything be the record holder if some alloys melt at an even
higher temperature?
Actually this Ta-Hf-C is an enigma. It is not the highest melting point
material. This info has come from misinterpreting the phase diagram. I
know people who have spent years trying to chase this dragon. It just isn't
so.
Tantalum hafnium carbide is a ceramic with a melting point of 4215 C - the
highest known.
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wiseGEEK
clear answers for common questions
Carbon needs a high pressure to melt. it sublimes at atm pressure. Thus
tungsten would have the highest melting point.
"By mixing together various metals to create alloys, even higher melting
points can be achieved."
Actually, alloys normally have lower melting points than either of the
components. The lowest is for an eutectic ("perfect" alloy).
High melting points are achieved by ceramics and similar compounds which
are rather a combination of a metal with a non-metal, like carbon or
nitrogen.
What is the cost of the material mentioned to be possessing the highest
melting point?