The Melting Points of Elements

The melting point of a substance is the temperature at which it changes from a solid state to a liquid state, like an ice cube melting back into water for example. The melting point is interesting in that it is also the one point in which the solid and liquid states are in perfect equilibrium. The reverse, yet also at the same temperature, is the freezing point where a substance changes from a liquid state to that of a solid state.

Chemical elements make up all of the matter on Earth and each has distinct properties. One of those properties that plays a large role in chemical reactions is the melting point. This information has been pulled from a chart of ‘The Melting Points of 80 Elements, Substances, and Metal Alloys’ but we’ll only be talking about the melting point of well-known elements for now.

This chart ascends from lowest melting point to highest and starts with the coldest known object in the universe, the Boomerang Nebula, which has a temperature of -458°F (-272 °C). It ends with the hottest object in our solar system, the sun, with a whopping surface temperature of 9,941 °F (5,505 °C). Thankfully no elements have melting points that reach that high or they would forever remain unchanged and not able to combine with other elements without first being on the sun! But which elements’ melting points come close to these two extremes?

The element that’s melting point comes closest to that of the Boomerang Nebula is one of the most well-known, hydrogen. It has a melting/freezing point of -434.4 °F (-259.1 °C), only 24 degrees away from the coldest known object! Hydrogen naturally exists as a gas so it takes some very cold temperatures to condense it into a liquid that is then mainly used a rocket fuel. Because of this it takes extreme technical care to be able to store hydrogen properly.

Now for the element with the highest melting point. Tungsten holds this honor as it has a incredibly high melting point of 6,177 °F (3,414 °C). Can you imagine that amount of heat? This makes tungsten perfect for making things like tools, or even jewelry, stronger. It is commonly used in tools for cutting, drilling, mining, milling, and turning instruments. It’s high melting point even makes it an excellent choice to use as filament (a conducting wire) in light bulbs.

Now for a quick look at the melting points of other common elements:

Oxygen -360°F (218°C)

Chlorine -150°F (-101 °C)

Water 32°F (0 °C)

Potassium 146°F (63 °C)

Tin 449°F (232 °C)

Aluminum 1,220°F (660 °C)

Gold 1,948 °F (1,064 °C)

Iron 2,795°F (1,535 °C)

Zirconium 3,366°F (1,852 °C)

The full list can be found here. Were there any elements with melting points that were a lot higher or lower than you thought they would be?