We all love metals. Cars, bicycles, kitchen appliances, beverage cans and a host of other things are all made of metal. Metal is the cornerstone of our life. But sometimes it can be very hard.
When we talk about the gravity of this or that metal, we usually have in the form of its density, that is, the ratio of mass to the occupied volume.
Another way to measure the "weight" of metals is their relative atomic mass. The heaviest metals in terms of relative atomic mass are plutonium and uranium.
If you want to know which metal is the heaviest, if we consider its density, then we are happy to help you. Here are the top 10 heaviest metals on Earth, with their density per cubic centimeter.
10. Tantalum - 16.67 g / cm³
The tenth line in the ranking is occupied by a bluish-gray, very hard metal with an ultra-high melting point. Despite its hardness, it is as flexible as gold.
Tantalum is an essential ingredient in many modern technologies. In particular, it is used for the production of capacitors, which are used in computers and mobile phones.
9. Uranium - 19.05 g / cm³
It is the heaviest element on Earth if we take into account its atomic mass - 238.0289 g / mol. In its pure form, uranium is a silvery brown heavy metal that is nearly twice as dense as lead.
Like plutonium, uranium is an essential ingredient in nuclear weapons.
8. Tungsten - 19.29 g / cm³
It is considered one of the densest elements in the world. In addition to its exceptional properties (high thermal and electrical conductivity, very high acid and abrasion resistance), tungsten also has three unique properties:
- After carbon, it has the highest melting point - plus 3422 ° C. And its boiling point is plus 5555 ° C, this temperature is roughly comparable to the temperature of the sun's surface.
- It accompanies tin ores, but prevents tin smelting, transforming it into slag foam. For this, it got its name, which in translation from German means "wolf cream".
- Tungsten has the lowest coefficient of linear expansion when heated of all metals.
7. Gold - 19.29 g / cm³
For a long time, people have been buying, selling and even killing for this precious metal. Why people, entire countries are engaged in buying gold. A leader states with the largest gold reserves at the moment is America. And the time will hardly come when there will be no need for gold.
They say that money does not grow on trees, but gold does! A small amount of gold can be found in eucalyptus leaves when in gold-bearing soil.
6. Plutonium - 19.80 g / cm³
The sixth heaviest metal in the world is one of the most essential components for the world's nuclear powers... He is also a real chameleon in the world of the elements. Plutonium exhibits a colorful oxidation state in aqueous solutions, with colors ranging from light purple and chocolate to light orange and green. 
The color depends on the oxidation state of plutonium and acid salts.
5. Neptunium - 20.47 g / cm³
Named after the planet Neptune, this silvery metal was discovered by chemist Edwin Macmillan and geochemist Philip Abelson in 1940. It is used to get the sixth number on our list, plutonium.
4. Rhenium - 21.01 g / cm³
The word "Rhenium" comes from the Latin Rhenus, which means "Rhine". It is not hard to guess that this metal was discovered in Germany. The honor of its discovery belongs to the German chemists Ida and Walter Noddack. It is the last element discovered to have a stable isotope.
Due to its very high melting point, rhenium (in the form of alloys with molybdenum, tungsten and other metals) is used to create components for rocketry and aviation.
3. Platinum - 21.40 g / cm³
One of most precious metals in this list (except for Osmium and California-252) is used in a wide variety of fields - from jewelry to the chemical industry and space technology. In Russia, the leader in the extraction of platinum metal is MMC Norilsk Nickel. About 25 tons of platinum are mined in the country annually.
2. Osmium - 22.61 g / cm³
A fragile yet extremely hard metal is rarely used in its pure form. It is mainly blended with other dense metals such as platinum to create very complex and expensive surgical equipment.
The name "osmium" comes from the ancient Greek word for "smell". When an alkali alloy of osmiridium dissolves in a liquid, a sharp amber appears, similar to the smell of chlorine or rotten radish.
Both osmium and iridium (the first place in the rating) weigh about twice as much lead (11.34 g / cm³).
1. Iridium - 22.65 g / cm³ - the heaviest metal
This metal can rightfully claim to be the element with the highest density. However, disputes about which metal is heavier - iridium or osmium, are still ongoing. And the thing is that any impurity can reduce the density of these metals, and obtaining them in their pure form is a very difficult task.
The theoretical design density of iridium is 22.65 g / cm³. It is almost three times heavier than iron (7.8 g / cm³). And almost twice as heavy as the heaviest liquid metal - mercury (13.6 g / cm³).
Like osmium, iridium was discovered by the English chemist Smithson Tennant in the early 19th century. Curiously, Tennant found iridium not deliberately, but by accident. It was found in the impurity left after the dissolution of platinum.
Iridium is mainly used as a hardener for platinum alloys in equipment that must withstand high temperatures. It is processed from platinum ore and is a by-product of nickel mining.
The name "iridium" is translated from ancient Greek as "rainbow". This is due to the presence of salts of various colors in the metal.
The heaviest metal in Mendeleev's periodic table is very rarely found in terrestrial substances. Therefore, its high concentration in rock samples is a marker of their meteoric origin. About 10 thousand kilograms of iridium are mined all over the world every year. Its largest supplier is South Africa.