Discovered : by J.J. and F. Elhuijar in 1783 Isolated in Vergara, Spain Origin : The name is derived from the Swedish ‘tungsten’, heavy stone, and the chemical symbol from ‘wolfram’, derived from the German ‘Wolf” (wolf) and ‘Rahm’ (dirt). Description : Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals and because of this it is used for the filaments of light bulbs. It is alloyed with other metals to strengthen them - for example, for military armour and cutting tools. Image : Tungsten bulb.