rhenium

American  

[ree-nee-uhm] / ˈri ni əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare metallic element of the manganese subgroup: used, because of its high melting point, in platinum-rhenium thermocouples. Re; 75; 186.2.

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rhenium British  

/ ˈriːnɪəm /

noun

1. 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)

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rhenium Scientific  

/ rē′nē-əm /

1. 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.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of rhenium

1920–25; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin Rhēn ( us ) Rhine + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

"As plankton die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, that dead carbon becomes chemically reactive in a way that adds rhenium to it."

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023

Sampling river water to measure rhenium levels makes it possible to quantify CO2 release.

From Science Daily • Oct. 4, 2023

To increase the signal arising from hydrogen compared with that from its surroundings, the gaskets used were made of elements lighter than tungsten and rhenium.

From Nature • Sep. 24, 2019

This later turned out to be element number 75, rhenium - another of the gaps in Mendeleev's table.

From BBC • May 29, 2015

Plump, grizzled Dr. Fink has done other valuable work electroplating with tungsten and rhenium but he worked longest and hardest with chromium.

From Time Magazine Archive