Rhenium
Rhenium (element #75, symbol Re) is a rare, silvery-white metallic element. Rhenium is found as a trace element in platinum ores and in the mineral columbite. It is very dense and has a melting temperature of 3186 degrees C (5767 degrees F). Rhenium does not form minerals of its own, but does occur as a trace element in the minerals columbite, tantalite and molybdenite.
Type
Element (Minerals/Ores of)
Description
Rhenium (element #75, symbol Re) is a rare, silvery-white metallic element. Rhenium is found as a trace element in platinum ores and in the mineral columbite. It is very dense and has a melting temperature of 3186 degrees C (5767 degrees F). Rhenium does not form minerals of its own, but does occur as a trace element in the minerals columbite, tantalite and molybdenite.
Relation to Mining
Rhenium is obtained almost exclusively as a by-product of the processing of a special type of copper deposit known as a porphyry copper deposit. Specifically, it is obtained from the processing of the mineral molybdenite (a molybdenum ore) that is found in porphyry copper deposits. A porphyry copper deposit is a valuable copper-rich deposit in which copper minerals occur throughout the rock.
Very small amounts are gathered by recycling molybdenum-rhenium and tungsten-rhenium scrap metals.
Uses
Because of its very high melting point, rhenium is used to make high-temperature alloys (an alloy is a mixture of metals) that are used in jet engine parts. It is also used to make strong alloys of nickel-based metals. Rhenium alloys are used to make a variety of equipment and equipment parts, such as temperature controls, heating elements, mass spectrographs, electrical contacts, electromagnets, and semiconductors. An alloy of rhenium and molybdenum is a superconductor of electricity at very low temperatures. These superalloys account for the majority of the rhenium use each year.
Rhenium is also used in the petroleum industry to make lead-free gasoline. In this application, rhenium compounds act as catalysts. (A catalyst is a chemical compound that takes part in a chemical reaction, and can often make the reaction proceed more quickly, but the chemical is not consumed in the chemical reaction.)
