Ditungsten Carbide, W₂C

Ditungsten Carbide, W₂C, was described by Moissan as an iron- grey mass, produced by heating an intimate mixture of tungstic anhydride and carbon in an electric furnace. The product was harder than corundum, of density 16 06 at 18° C., and was very similar in properties to the metal itself. According to Ruff and Wunsch, this product was not a pure carbide; in their own investigation they detected a micrographic constituent between the mono- and tri-tungsten carbides, but were unable to definitely determine its composition.