What is the strongest metal in the world. The hardest metals in the world. The strongest of metals
Today we will look at the strongest metals in the world and discuss their properties. And titanium opens the “strength rating”.
Not the most durable?
The name of the metal presumably comes from the name of the ancient Greek hero Titan. Therefore, we associate this metal with indestructibility. Many consider titanium to be the strongest metal in the world. However, in reality this is far from the case.
Pure titanium was first obtained in 1925. The new material immediately attracted attention due to a number of properties. Titanium has begun to be very actively used in the industrial sector.
Today, titanium is in 10th place among natural metals in terms of prevalence. The earth's crust contains about 700 million tons. That is, the current raw materials will last for another 150 years.
Titanium has excellent properties. It is a lightweight and durable metal that is resistant to corrosion. It can be easily heat treated and has a wide range of applications. It interacts with other elements of the periodic table only when heated. Found naturally in rutile and ilmenite ores. Pure titanium is obtained by sintering ore with chlorine.
It is able to withstand enormous loads. The metal is distinguished by its high strength and impact resistance. It is used in the manufacture Vehicle, rockets and even submarines. Titanium can withstand pressure even at great depths.
It is also popular in the medical industry. Prostheses based on it do not interact with body tissues and are not subject to corrosion. But over the years it begins to wear out, which forces you to replace the prosthesis with a new one.
New developments
In 2016, scientists found a way to improve the properties of titanium and make it even more durable. The main goal of the research is to find a more durable material that is compatible with body tissues. And then we remembered gold, which has been used in prosthetics for many years.
The alloy of titanium and gold, after several attempts to find the ideal ratio of components, turned out to be incredibly durable. 4 times stronger than other metals used today for prosthetics.
Tantalum
One of the strongest metals. Named after the ancient Greek god Tantalus, who angered Zeus and was cast into hell. It has a silvery-white color with a bluish tint. It is a characteristic element of granitic and alkaline magma. It is extracted from the mineral coltan, the largest deposits of which are located in Brazil and Africa.
It was opened back in 1802. Then it was considered a variety of columbium, but later it was established that these are two different metals with similar properties. Only 100 years later it was possible to obtain pure tantalum. Its cost today is quite high - $150 per 1 kg of metal.
Tantalum is a refractory metal with a fairly high density. From a chemical point of view, it is stable because it does not dissolve in dilute acids. In powder form, tantalum burns well in air. Used for the manufacture of electrolytic capacitors, heaters in vacuum furnaces. Tantalum capacitors increase service life electronic systems up to 10-12 years. It is noteworthy that even jewelers have found use for it - they replace platinum.
Strength testing of metals showed that the alloy of tantalum and tungsten has almost one hundred percent strength.
Osmium is the very...
Osmium is another incredibly strong metal. It is also included in the list of the rarest and most expensive. It is present in the earth's crust in minute quantities. It is classified as dispersed, that is, it does not have its own deposits. Therefore, its extraction is accompanied by enormous difficulties.
Osmium belongs to the group of platinum metals. Its cost is about $10,000 per gram. In price it is second only to artificial Californian. It consists of several isotopes that are incredibly difficult to separate. The most popular isotope is osmium-187. Its price per gram reaches up to $200,000!
Osmium is the record holder for density among metals. In addition, it is a high-strength metal. Alloys containing osmium become resistant to corrosion and become stronger and more durable. Metal is also used in its pure form, for example, to make expensive fountain pens, which practically do not wear out and write for years.
Chromium
Chromium, cobalt and tungsten have been known to science since 1913 and are united under common name- stellites. They remain hard even at temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius.
This metal is mainly found in the deep layers of the Earth. It is also found in stony meteorites, which are considered analogues of our mantle. Only chrome spinels are of industrial value. Many minerals that contain chromium are completely useless. The purest chromium is obtained by electrolysis of concentrated aqueous solutions or electrolysis of chromium sulfate.
Metal in combination with steel significantly enhances its strength and also adds resistance to oxidation. It improves the characteristics of steel without reducing its ductility.
Ruthenium
It belongs to the platinum group and is classified as a noble metal. However, from their list, ruthenium is considered the least noble... It was discovered by the scientist Karl-Ernst Klaus in 1844. It is noteworthy that the professor constantly smelled and tasted the results of his research. Once he even received a burn to his mouth when he tasted one of the ruthenium compounds he discovered.
Its world reserves today are about 5,000 tons. Ruthenium has been studied for a long time, but many of its properties are still unknown. The problem is that no way has yet been found to completely purify ruthenium. The contamination of raw materials prevents the study of its properties. However, doctors are confident that the use of metal in everyday life can increase the incidence of illness among the population. That is why the release of the ruthenium-106 isotope in the Urals caused such a resonance in the press. After all, ruthenium-106 has radioactive properties.
At the same time, its value in 2017 unexpectedly surpassed all platinum metals.
Iridium is the strongest metal
It is iridium that has the highest strength. Yes, it is inferior to osmium in density, but has the highest strength coefficient. It is also called the rarest of metals, but in fact the content of astatine in the earth's crust is even lower.
Iridium was studied very carefully. 70 years later, its main properties - incredible strength and corrosion resistance - have become known throughout the world. Today it is used in many industries. The lion's share of the metal is exploited by the chemical industry. The remainder is distributed among many other areas, including medicine and jewelry. Iridium combined with platinum creates high-quality and very durable jewelry.
many lovers interesting facts I'm wondering which metal is the hardest? And it won’t be easy to answer this question offhand. Of course, any chemistry teacher will easily say correctly, without even thinking. But among ordinary citizens who last studied chemistry at school, not many will be able to give the answer correctly and quickly. This is due to the fact that since childhood everyone has been accustomed to making various toys from wire and has well remembered that copper and aluminum are soft and bend well, but steel, on the contrary, is not so easy to give the desired shape. A person deals with the three named metals most often, so he doesn’t even consider the other candidates. But steel is certainly not the hardest metal in the world. To be fair, it is worth noting that this is not a metal at all in the chemical sense, but a compound of iron and carbon.
What is titanium?
The hardest metal is titanium. Pure titanium was first obtained in 1925. This discovery created a sensation in scientific circles. Industrialists immediately drew attention to the new material and appreciated the benefits of its use. According to the official version, the hardest metal on Earth got its name in honor of the indestructible Titans, who, according to ancient Greek mythology, were the founders of the world.
According to scientists, the total world reserves of titanium today are about 730 million tons. At the current rate of extraction of fossil raw materials, there will be enough for another 150 years. Titanium ranks 10th in natural reserves among all known metals. The world's largest titanium producer is Russian company"VSMPO-Avisma", which satisfies up to 35% of the world's needs. The company is engaged in the full processing cycle from ore mining to the manufacture of various products. It takes up about 90% Russian market for titanium production. About 70% of finished products are exported.
Titanium is a light, silver-colored metal with a melting point of 1670 degrees Celsius. Shows high chemical activity only when heated; under normal conditions it does not react with most chemical elements and connections. It is not found in nature in its pure form. Common in the form of rutile (titanium dioxide) and ilmenite (a complex substance consisting of titanium dioxide and ferrous oxide) ores. Pure titanium is isolated by sintering the ore with chlorine and then displacing the more active metal (usually magnesium) from the resulting tetrachloride.
Industrial applications of titanium
The hardest metal has quite wide range applications in many industries. Amorphously arranged atoms provide titanium highest level tensile and torsional strength, good impact resistance, high magnetic properties. The metal is used to make air transport bodies and missiles. It copes well with the enormous loads that cars experience at great heights. Titanium is also used in the production of hulls for submarines, as it can withstand high pressure at great depths.
In the medical industry, metal is used in the manufacture of dentures and dental implants, as well as surgical instruments. The element is added as an alloying additive to some grades of steel, which gives them increased strength and resistance to corrosion. Titanium is well suited for casting as it produces perfectly smooth surfaces. It is also used to make jewelry and decorative items. Titanium compounds are also actively used. Dioxide is used to make paints, whitewash, and is added to paper and plastic.
Organic titanium salts are used as a hardening catalyst in paint and varnish production. Various tools and attachments for processing and drilling other metals are made from titanium carbide. In precision engineering, titanium aluminide is used to produce wear-resistant elements that have a high safety margin.
The hardest metal alloy was obtained by American scientists in 2011. Its composition included palladium, silicon, phosphorus, germanium and silver. New material was called "metallic glass". It combines the hardness of glass and the plasticity of metal. The latter prevents cracks from spreading, as happens with standard glass. Naturally, the material was not put into widespread production, since its components, especially palladium, are rare metals and are very expensive.
At the moment, the efforts of scientists are aimed at searching for alternative components that would preserve the properties obtained, but significantly reduce the cost of production. However, some parts for the aerospace industry are already being produced from the resulting alloy. If alternative elements can be introduced into the structure and the material becomes widespread, then it is quite possible that it will become one of the most popular alloys of the future.
Metals have been used by man since the dawn of civilization. One of the first known was copper, due to its ease of processing and widespread use. Archaeologists have found thousands of copper items during excavations. Progress does not stand still, and soon humanity learned to produce durable alloys to make weapons and agricultural tools. To this day, experiments with metals do not stop, so it has become possible to determine which is the strongest metal in the world.
Iridium
So, the strongest metal is iridium. It is obtained by precipitation from the dissolution of platinum in sulfuric acid. After the reaction, the substance becomes black, and later in the process of various compounds it can change color: hence the name, translated as “rainbow”. Iridium was discovered in the early 19th century, and since then only two ways have been found to dissolve it: molten lye and sodium peroxide.
Iridium is very rare in nature; its amount in the earth does not exceed 1 in 1,000,000,000. As a result, one ounce of the material costs at least $1,000.
Iridium is widely used in various fields of human activity, especially in medicine. It is used to produce eye prostheses, hearing aids, electrodes for the brain, as well as special capsules that are implanted into cancer tumors.
According to scientists, such a small amount of matter indicates that it is of alien origin, namely, brought by some kind of asteroid.
The other one strong metal in a world whose name comes from the name of our country. It was first discovered in the Urals. Or rather, they found platinum there, in which Russian scientists later identified a new metal. This was 200 years ago.
Due to its beauty, ruthenium is often used in jewelry, but not in its pure form, because it is very rare
Ruthenium is a noble metal. It has not only hardness, but also beauty. In terms of hardness, it is only slightly inferior to quartz. But at the same time, it is very fragile, it can easily be crushed into powder or broken by dropping it from a height. In addition, it is the lightest and strongest metal, its density is barely thirteen grams per centimeter cubed.
Despite its poor impact resistance, ruthenium is excellent at resisting high temperatures. To melt it, it must be heated to more than 2300 degrees. If this is done using an electric arc, the substance can go directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid stage.
As part of alloys, its use is extremely wide, even in space mechanics; for example, alloys of the metals ruthenium and platinum were chosen for the manufacture of fuel elements for artificial Earth satellites.
The first on Earth to discover this metal was the Swedish scientist Ekeberg. But the chemist was never able to isolate it in its pure form; difficulties arose with this, which is why it received the name of the Greek hero of myths, Tantalus. Tantalum began to be actively used only during the Second World War.
Tantalum is a hard, durable, silver-colored metal that exhibits little activity at ordinary temperatures, oxidizes only when heated above 280°C, and melts only at almost 3300 Kelvin.
Despite its strength, tantalum is quite ductile, approximately like gold, and working with it is not difficult
Tantalum can be used as a substitute for stainless steels; the service life may differ by as much as twenty years.
Tantalum is also used:
- in aviation for the manufacture of heat-resistant parts;
- in chemistry as part of anti-corrosion alloys;
- in nuclear energy, since it is extremely resistant to cesium vapor;
- medicine for the manufacture of implants and prostheses;
- V computer technology for the production of superconductors;
- in military affairs for various types of projectiles;
- in jewelry, since during oxidation it can acquire different shades.
This metal is considered biogenic, which means it can have a positive effect on living organisms. For example, the amount of chromium regulates cholesterol levels. If chromium in the body is less than six milligrams, this leads to a sharp increase in cholesterol in the blood. You can get chromium ions, for example, from pearl barley, duck, liver or beets.
Chrome is refractory, does not react to moisture and does not oxidize (only when heated above 600°C).
The metal is actively used to create chrome coatings and dental crowns.
This durable metal was previously called glucinium because people noted its sweet taste. In addition, this substance has many more amazing properties. He is reluctant to enter into chemical reactions. Extremely durable: it has been experimentally established that beryllium wire a millimeter thick can support the weight of an adult. For comparison, aluminum wire can only withstand twelve kilograms.
Beryllium is very poisonous. When ingested, it can replace magnesium in the bones, a condition called berylliosis. It is accompanied by a dry cough and swelling of the lungs and can lead to death. Toxicity is perhaps the only significant drawback of beryllium for humans. Otherwise, it has a lot of advantages and a lot of uses: heavy industry, nuclear fuel, aviation and astronautics, metallurgy, medicine.
Beryllium is very light compared to some alkali metals
This durable metal is even more expensive than iridium (and is second only to California). However, it is used in areas where the result is more important than the cost of it: for production medical equipment to the world's best clinics. In addition, it can be used to make electrical contacts, parts of measuring equipment and expensive watches like Rolex, electron microscopes, and military warheads. Thanks to osmium, they become stronger and can withstand higher temperatures, even extreme ones.
Osmium does not occur in nature on its own, only in combination with rhodium, so after extraction the task is to separate their atoms. Less common is osmium in a “set” with platinum, copper and some other ores.
Only a few tens of kilograms of the substance are produced per year on the planet.
This metal has a very strong structure. It itself is whitish in color, and when crushed into powder it turns black. The metal is very rare and is mined in combination with other ores and minerals. The concentration of rhenium in nature is negligible.
Due to the incredible high cost, the substance is used only in cases of extreme necessity. Previously, its alloys, due to their heat resistance, were used in aviation and rocketry, including for equipping supersonic fighters. It was this area that was the main point of world consumption of rhenium, making it a material of military-strategic use.
Rhenium is used to make filaments and springs for measuring instruments, self-cleaning contacts and special catalysts necessary for the production of gasoline. This is exactly what last years increased the demand for rhenium significantly. The world market is literally ready to fight for this rare metal.
In the whole world there is only one full-fledged deposit of it, and it is located in Russia, the second, much smaller one, is in Finland
Scientists have invented a new substance, which in its properties can become stronger than known metals. It was called "Liquid Metal". Experiments with it began quite recently, but it has already proven itself. It is quite possible that Liquid Metal will soon supplant the metals that are so well known to us.
When the word “metal” is mentioned, everyone probably pictures in their imagination a hard, durable and super-strong sheet of iron that cannot simply be bent or broken. However, metals are very different. And if you are wondering which metal is the strongest in the world, then we will provide you with a reliable answer and tell you about such metal. It is a silver-white material called “titanium”.
Opened by whom and when?
Two scientists worked on the discovery of this metal at once - the Englishman W. Gregory and the German M. Klaptor. They discovered this element at the end of the eighteenth century, but with an interval of six years. In the periodic table, titanium appeared under the twenty-second serial number immediately after the discovery of the metal by scientists. However, due to its high fragility, titanium was not used for a long time. And in 1925 Dutch physicists made a real discovery, isolating the purest titanium, which combines many advantages. The metal has become distinguished by its high manufacturability, excellent specific strength, resistance to corrosion and incredible strength when exposed to high temperatures.
Main characteristics of titanium
The strongest metal in the world, created by scientists in 1925, is incredibly ductile, which makes it possible to create sheets, rods, tape, pipes, wire and foil from it. In terms of hardness, titanium is four times harder than iron and copper, and also in this parameter, titanium is twelve times stronger than aluminum. Titanium products retain their strength even when exposed to high temperatures. Titanium parts can serve for a long time under the influence of ultra-high loads.
Also, the strongest metal on Earth has excellent anti-corrosion characteristics. For example, a titanium plate placed in seawater was not exposed to rust for ten years. Electrical and radio electronics engineers have an increased interest in this metal - and all because the strongest metal in the world has significant electrical resistance and is distinguished by non-magnetic properties.
Why is this metal called “titanium”?
There are two versions of the origin of its name. According to one of them, it is believed that the silver-white metal was named after the fairy queen Titania, who is known from German mythology. And all because the material, in addition to its high strength, is also incredibly lightweight. According to another version, the metal is named after the mighty children of the goddess Gaia - the Titans. It is difficult to judge which of these versions is more plausible, but it can be noted that each of them is remarkable and has a place to be.
Application of titanium
The use of silver metal is quite widespread. It is used in the military industry (construction of missiles, armor for aircraft, hulls for submarines, etc.), medicine (prosthetics), automotive industry, agricultural industry, manufacturing mobile phones and jewelry production.
Even lighter and more durable
Quite recently, Californian scientists told the world that they had discovered the lightest and strongest metal. This is a liquid metal that is created from a mixture of graphene oxide and lyophilized carbon. Liquid metal has already received high marks from experts and has established itself as an ideal casting and stainless material.
The new metal is so light that flower petals can easily hold it. As you know, graphene is distinguished not only by its lightness and high strength, but also by its excellent flexibility. Therefore, scientists today are developing developments in the direction of creating ultra-light materials, and perhaps in the near future even more unique materials will appear before humanity.
People began to use metal back in ancient times. The most accessible metal in nature and amenable to processing is copper. Copper products archaeologists find them in the form of household utensils during excavations of ancient settlements. As technological progress grew, man learned to make alloys from various metals, which were useful to him in the manufacture of household items and weapons. This is how the strongest metal in the world appeared.
Titanium
This unusually beautiful silver-white metal was discovered almost simultaneously at the end of the 18th century by two scientists - the Englishman W. Gregory and the German M. Klaproth. According to one version, titanium received its name in honor of the characters of ancient Greek myths, the mighty Titans, according to another - from Titania, the fairy queen from German mythology - because of its lightness. However, no use was found for it then.
Then in 1925, physicists in Holland were able to isolate pure titanium and discovered its many benefits. This - high performance manufacturability, specific strength and resistance to corrosion, very high strength at high temperatures. It also has high anti-corrosion resistance. These fantastic performance immediately attracted engineers and designers.
In 1940, the scientist Krol obtained pure titanium using the magnesium-thermal method, and since then this method has been the main one. The strongest metal on earth is mined in many places in the world - Russia, Ukraine, China, South Africa and others.
Titanium is twice as strong as iron in mechanical terms, and six times stronger than aluminum. Titanium alloys are currently the strongest in the world, and therefore have found application in the military (submarine, missile construction), shipbuilding and aviation industries (on supersonic aircraft).
This metal is also incredibly malleable, so it can be made into any shape - sheets, pipes, wire, tape. Titanium is widely used for the manufacture of medical prostheses (and it is biologically ideally compatible with the tissues of the human body), jewelry, sports equipment, etc.
It is also used in chemical production due to its anti-corrosion properties; this metal does not corrode in an aggressive environment. So, for testing purposes, a titanium plate was placed in sea water, and after 10 years it did not even rust!
Due to its high electrical resistance and non-magnetizing properties, it is widely used in radio electronics, for example, in structural parts of mobile phones. The use of titanium in the field of dentistry is very promising; its ability to fuse with human bone tissue is especially important, which gives strength and solidity in prosthetics. It is widely used in the manufacture of medical instruments.
Uranus
Natural oxidizing properties uranium was used in antiquity (1st century BC) in the manufacture of yellow glaze in ceramic products. One of the most well-known durable metals in world practice, it is weakly radioactive and is used in the production of nuclear fuel. The 20th century was even called the “age of Uranus.” This metal has paramagnetic properties.
Uranium is 2.5 times heavier than iron, forms many chemical compounds; its alloys with elements such as tin, lead, aluminum, mercury, and iron are used in production.
Tungsten
This is not only the strongest metal in the world, but also a very rare one, which is not even mined anywhere, but was obtained chemically back in 1781 in Sweden. The most temperature-resistant metal in the world. Due to its high refractoriness, it lends itself well to forging, and it can be pulled into a thin thread.
Its most famous application is tungsten filament in light bulbs. Widely used for the production of special instruments (incisors, cutters, surgical) and in jewelry production. Due to its property of not transmitting radioactive rays, it is used to produce containers for storing nuclear waste. Tungsten deposits in Russia are located in Altai, Chukotka, and the North Caucasus.
Rhenium
It got its name in Germany (Rhine River), where it was discovered in 1925; the metal itself is white. It is mined both in its pure form (Kuril Islands) and during the extraction of molybdenum and copper raw materials, but in very small quantities.
The strongest metal on earth is very hard and dense and melts well. Strength is high and does not depend on temperature changes, the disadvantage is high cost, toxic to humans. Used in electronics and aviation industries.
Osmium
The heaviest element, for example, a kilogram of osmium, looks like a ball that easily fits in your hand. It belongs to the platinum group of metals and is several times more expensive than gold. It got its name because of the bad smell during a chemical reaction carried out by the English scientist S. Tennant in 1803.
Externally it looks very beautiful: shiny silver crystals with a blue and cyan tint. It is usually used as an additive to other metals in industry (high-strength ceramic-metal cutters, medical knife blades). Its non-magnetic and durable properties are used in the manufacture of high-precision instruments.
Beryllium
It was obtained by chemist Paul Lebeau at the end of the 19th century. At first, this metal was nicknamed “sweet” because of its candy-like taste. Then it turned out that it has other attractive and original properties, for example, it does not want to enter into any chemical reactions with other elements with rare exceptions (halogen).
The strongest metal in the world is at the same time hard, brittle, light, and also highly toxic. Its exceptional strength (for example, a wire with a diameter of 1 mm can support the weight of a person) is used in laser and space technology, and nuclear energy.
New discoveries
We can go on and on about very strong metals, but technical progress is moving forward. Scientists from California recently announced to the world the emergence of a “liquid metal” (from the word “liquid”), which is stronger than titanium. In addition, it turned out to be super lightweight, flexible and highly durable. Therefore, scientists will have to create and develop ways to use the new metal, and in the future, perhaps, make many more discoveries.
