Rhenium: application and properties

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 13:48

Rhenium, the application of which will be discussed below, is an element of the chemical periodic table under the atomic index 75 (Re). The name of the substance comes from the river Rhine in Germany. The year of discovery of this metal is 1925. The first significant batch of material was obtained in 1928. This element belongs to the last analogue with a stable isotope. By itself, rhenium is a metal with a white tint, and its powder mass is black. Melting and boiling points range from +3186 to +5596 degrees Celsius. It has paramagnetic characteristics.

Features

The use of rhenium is not so widespread due to its exceptional parameters and high cost. At +300 °C, the metal begins to actively undergo oxidation, the process of which depends on a further increase in temperature. This element is more stable than tungsten, practically does not interact with hydrogen and nitrogen, providing only adsorption.

When heated, a reaction with chlorine, bromine and fluorine is noted. Rhenium does not dissolve only in nitric acid, and when interacting with mercury, an amalgam is formed. Reaction with an aqueous peroxide compositionhydrogen causes the formation of rhenium acid. This element is the only one among refractory metals that does not form carbides. The use of rhenium has no participation in biochemistry. There is little information available about all of its possible effects. Among the reliable facts - toxicity and toxicity to living organisms.

Production

Rhenium is an extremely rare metal. In nature, it is most often found in combination with tungsten and molybdenum. In addition, impurities are present in the mineral deposits of its neighbors in the table. Rhenium is predominantly mined from molybdenum deposits through associated extraction.

In addition, the element in question is extracted from dzhezkazganite, a very rare natural mineral, which is so named after the Kazakh settlement near the deposit. Rhenium can also be isolated from pyrite, zirconium, columbite.

The metal is dispersed throughout the world in negligible concentration. Among the known mining sites, where it is found in significant quantities, is the Kuril Island of Iturup in Russia. The deposit was discovered in 1992. Here the metal is presented in the form of a structure similar to molybdenum (ReS_2).

Mining is carried out on a small platform located on top of a dormant volcano. Thermal springs are active there, which indicates the expansion of the deposit, which, according to preliminary estimates, emits about 37 tons of this metal per year.

The second largest deposit is considered to be a rhenium deposit suitable forindustrial element extraction. It is located in Finland and is called Hitura. There, the metal is extracted from another mineral - tarkyanite.

Receive

Rhenium is obtained by processing primary raw materials, which initially have a low percentage of this material. Most often, the element is extracted from copper and molybdenum sulfides. Rhenium alloys are subjected to pyrometallurgical treatment, which is used when working with ores that are smelted, converted and roasted.

Excessive melting temperatures make it possible to obtain a higher oxide Re-207, which is retained by special trapping devices. It happens that part of the element settles in soot after firing. Pure material can be obtained from this substance with the help of hydrogen. Then the resulting powder substance is melted directly into rhenium ingots. The use of ore for the extraction of the element in question is accompanied by the appearance of sediment in the matte. Further conversion of this composition allows the isolation of rhenium through exposure to certain gases.

Technological moments

It is possible to achieve the desired concentration during production due to the properties of rhenium and the use of sulfuric acid. After passing through special purification methods, it is possible to isolate a pure element from the ore.

This method is not very productive, the yield of a pure product is no more than 65%. This indicator varies depending on the metal content in the ore. On this basis, scientificresearch to identify more advanced and alternative methods of production.

Modern technologies make it possible to optimize the properties of artificially obtained rhenium. This solution allows the use of an aqueous solution instead of an acid one. This makes it possible to capture significantly more pure metal during cleaning.

Application

First, consider the main characteristics of the element in question, for which it is especially appreciated:

• Refractoriness.
• Minimal exposure to corrosion.
• No deformation when exposed to chemicals and acids.

Because the price of this metal is extremely high, it is used mainly in rare cases. The main area of application of this element is the production of heat-resistant alloys with various metals, which are used in the construction of rockets and the aviation industry. As a rule, rhenium is used for the production of spare parts for supersonic fighters. Such compositions include at least 6% metal.

Such a source quickly became the main means for creating jet power units. At the same time, the material began to be considered a military-strategic reserve. Specially provided thermal couples allow to measure temperatures in huge ranges. The element in question makes it possible to extend the service life of most of the aggregated metals. From rhenium, the use of which is discussed above, springs are also made for precision equipment, platinum metals, spectrometers, pressure gauges.

Ifmore precisely, it uses rhenium-coated tungsten. Due to its resistance to chemical attack, this metal is included in protective coatings against acidic and alkaline environments.

Interesting facts

Rhenium is also used to make special contacts. They have the property of self-cleaning in the event of a short circuit. On ordinary metals, oxide remains, which does not allow the passage of current. Current also passes through rhenium alloys, but it does not leave any traces behind itself. In this regard, contacts made of this metal have a long service life.

The most important aspect of the use of rhenium was the possibility of using it to create catalysts that help produce certain components of gasoline fuel. The possibility of using a chemical element in the oil products industry led to an increase in its demand in the corresponding market by several times. The world is seriously interested in this unique material.

Stocks

It is worth noting that the world stock of rhenium is at least 13 thousand tons only in molybdenum and copper deposits. They are the main sources of this component in the metallurgical industry. More than 2/3 of all rhenium on the planet is found in such configurations. The remaining third is secondary residues. If we reduce all calculations of reserves to a single denominator, they should be enough for at least three hundred years. In the calculation of scientists, recycling was not taken into account. Similarprojects have been developed for a long time, some of them have proven their worth.

Cost

Product prices in most categories are formed by the availability and demand of the product. A component such as rhenium is one of the most expensive metals in the world, so not every manufacturer can afford it, although it has unique properties that make it possible to offset the costs of its expensive use. At the same time, rhenium has parameters that no other metal has. For the creation of space and aviation structures, its characteristics are ideal. It is not surprising that the price of rhenium is high, although it corresponds to all indicators characteristic of this unique material.

Already in 2011, the average cost of rhenium was about 4.5 US dollars per gram. Subsequently, no downward trend in prices was observed. Often the final cost depends on the degree of purification of the metal. The price of the material can reach thousands of dollars or more.

Discovery history

This element was discovered by German chemists Ead and W alter Noddack in 1925. They conducted research using columbispectral analysis in the laboratory of the Siemens and Shake group. After this event, a corresponding report was held at a meeting of German chemists in Nuremberg. A year later, a team of scientists isolated the first two milligrams of rhenium from molybdenum.

In a relatively pure form, the element was obtained only in 1928. For gettingone milligram of the substance had to process over 600 kilograms of Norwegian molybdenum. The industrial production of this metal also started in Germany (1930). The capacity of processing plants made it possible to obtain about 120 kg of metal annually. At that time, this fully satisfied the need for rhenium in the entire world market. In America, the first industrial 4.5 kg of a unique metal were obtained in 1943 by processing concentrated molybdenum. It was this element that became the last discovered metal with a stable isotope. All other analogues discovered earlier, including artificially, did not have such properties.

Natural reserves

To date, according to the natural reserves of the metal in question, the list of deposits can be arranged in the following order:

• Chilean mines.
• United States of America.
• Iturup Island, where deposits are estimated at up to 20 tons per year (in the form of volcanic gas eruptions).

In the Russian Federation, semi-element deposits of the hydrogen type are assessed as areas that have the maximum potential for porphyry copper and copper-molybdenum ores. In total, according to experts' forecasts, rhenium deposits in Russia amount to 2900 tons (76% of the state's resource). The lion's share of these deposits is located in the Moscow region coal basin (82%). The next field in terms of reserves is the Briketno-Zheltukhinsky basin in the Ryazan region.

Result

Rhenium is a chemical element thatbelongs to the group of rare metals with unique characteristics. Its properties, places of extraction, scopes are described above.