Rhenium

Rhenium is one of the rarest stable elements in the Earth's crust, rarer than platinum. It was the last stable element to be discovered (in 1925) and today almost all of it goes into the single-crystal nickel-rhenium superalloy turbine blades of the most advanced jet engines.

• Atomic Number7575 protons, 75 electrons
• Atomic Mass186.207 u75× heavier than hydrogen
• State at Room TempSolidSolid
• Density20.8 g/cm³
• Melting / Boiling3185.8°C / 5595.9°C
• Discovered1925

What is Rhenium?

Rhenium is a dense, silvery-grey transition metal in Group 7 below manganese and technetium. With 75 protons and a melting point of 3,186°C, it is the metal with the second highest melting point after tungsten. Named after Rhenus, the Latin name for the Rhine, discovered in Germany in 1925 by Ida Noddack, Walter Noddack and Otto Berg.

Discovered in 1925 by Ida Noddack, Walter Noddack and Otto Berg in Berlin by X-ray spectroscopy of platinum ores and columbite. Named after the Rhine.

Fact Ida Noddack, who co-discovered rhenium in 1925, was also the first person to suggest nuclear fission in 1934, proposing that bombarding uranium with neutrons might produce elements lighter than uranium by splitting the nucleus. Her idea was ignored for four years until Hahn, Strassmann and Meitner demonstrated fission experimentally.

Where you find Rhenium

On Earth

Rhenium is almost entirely a by-product of molybdenite (MoS₂) roasting during copper and molybdenum smelting. Chile, the USA and Kazakhstan are main producers.

How we use Rhenium

• Nickel-rhenium single-crystal superalloys are used in the first and second-stage turbine blades of the most advanced gas turbine jet engines, containing 3-6% rhenium.. Jet engine blades
• Rhenium-platinum catalysts are used in catalytic reforming of petroleum naphtha.. Petroleum refining
• Rhenium wire filaments are used in mass spectrometers and electron beam instruments.. Scientific instruments

Did you know? Ida Noddack, who co-discovered rhenium in 1925, was also the first person to suggest nuclear fission in 1934, proposing that bombarding uranium with neutrons might produce elements lighter than uranium by splitting the nucleus. Her idea was ignored for four years until Hahn, Strassmann and Meitner demonstrated fission experimentally.

How it was discovered

Discovered in 1925 by Ida Noddack, Walter Noddack and Otto Berg in Berlin by X-ray spectroscopy of platinum ores and columbite. Named after the Rhine.

Deeper dive: rhenium properties and applications

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Moving to 76 protons on the periodic table takes us to the next element.