Return to the Main CHEMystery Page.
Return to the Periodic Table of the Elements

Element 75 - Rhenium (Re) sound

From the Rhine provinces of Germany; discovered 1925. Rhenium is the ninth scarcest element and has the second highest melting point. It is used in "thermocouples" (electric thermometers for measuring high temperatures) and in the contact points of electrical switches.

Properties

Atomic Number: 75
Atomic Weight: 186.207
Electron Configuration (at ground state): 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d104f145s25p65d56s2
Oxidation States (Bold most stable): +7, +6, +4, +2, -1
Boiling Point (K): 5870
Melting Point (K): 3455
Density (at 300K -- g/cm3): 21.0
Atomic Volume (at 300K -- cm3/mol) 8.85
Number of stable isotopes: 1
Number of natural radioactive isotopes: 1
Mass Number (Bold naturally occurring) -- Half-Life -- Disintigration Type: 187 -- 5 x 1010 years -- beta particle (electron) emission
Covalent Radius (Å): 1.28
Atomic Radius (Å): 1.37
First Ionization Potential (V): 7.88
Electronegativity (Pauling's): 1.9
Specific Heat Capacity (at 300K -- J g-1 K-1): 0.137
Heat of Vaporization (kJ/mol): 707.1
Heat of Fusion (kJ/mol): 33.05
Electrical Conductivity (at 293K for polycrystalline material -- 106 (ohms)-1 cm-1): 5.8
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m-1 K-1): 47.9
Crystal Structure: Hexagonal
Acid-Base Properties: Slightly acidic