rhenium
a rare metallic element of the manganese subgroup: used, because of its high melting point, in platinum-rhenium thermocouples. Symbol: Re; atomic number: 75; atomic weight: 186.2.
Origin of rhenium
1Words Nearby rhenium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rhenium in a sentence
In 2007, scientists examining sulfur, molybdenum, and rhenium announced that they’d found evidence of oxygen in this sample—from well before the GOE.
Ancient rocks hold the story of Earth’s first breath of oxygen | Rahul Rao | January 10, 2022 | Popular-Science
British Dictionary definitions for rhenium
/ (ˈriːnɪəm) /
a dense silvery-white metallic element that has a high melting point. It occurs principally in gadolinite and molybdenite and is used, alloyed with tungsten or molybdenum, in high-temperature thermocouples. Symbol: Re; atomic no: 75; atomic wt: 186.207; valency: –1 or 1–7; relative density: 21.02; melting pt: 3186°C; boiling pt: 5596°C (est)
Origin of rhenium
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for rhenium
[ rē′nē-əm ]
A very rare, dense, silvery-white metallic element with a very high melting point. It is used to make catalysts and electrical contacts. Atomic number 75; atomic weight 186.2; melting point 3,180°C; boiling point 5,627°C; specific gravity 21.02; valence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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