: a rare heavy metallic element that is obtained either as a gray powder or as a silver-white hard metal, is usually extracted as a by-product of molybdenum smelting, and is used especially in catalysts and alloys see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of rhenium in a Sentence
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As a result, the Earth’s crust has proportionally more rhenium than the deeper layers of the planet, such as the mantle.
—
Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
When in this pool, the magma melted the crustal rocks around it, which contained minute amounts of water, carbon dioxide and other gases, in addition to rhenium.
—Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
Osmium can decay radioactively from rhenium, but the two behave differently when rocks melt.
—Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
Mongolia is an acute illustration of the geopolitical, environmental, and economic challenges facing mineral-rich nations seeking to benefit from emerging technologies, whether supplying indium for flat-screen TVs, rhenium for jet engines, or gallium for smartphones.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
Too bad rhenium is one of the rarest elements on Earth.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Dec. 2023
Each cluster consists of an octahedron made of six rhenium atoms nestled within a cube made of eight selenium atoms, with a chlorine atom on the top and bottom of the cluster.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Nov. 2023
Problem is, rhenium is one of the rarest elements out there, crimping any plans to make widespread Re6Se8Cl2 production a thing.
—David Meyer, Fortune Europe, 7 Nov. 2023
To study the weathering of organic carbon in rocks, the team used a tracer element called rhenium.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Oct. 2023
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Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
When in this pool, the magma melted the crustal rocks around it, which contained minute amounts of water, carbon dioxide and other gases, in addition to rhenium.
—Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
Osmium can decay radioactively from rhenium, but the two behave differently when rocks melt.
—Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
Mongolia is an acute illustration of the geopolitical, environmental, and economic challenges facing mineral-rich nations seeking to benefit from emerging technologies, whether supplying indium for flat-screen TVs, rhenium for jet engines, or gallium for smartphones.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
Too bad rhenium is one of the rarest elements on Earth.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Dec. 2023
Each cluster consists of an octahedron made of six rhenium atoms nestled within a cube made of eight selenium atoms, with a chlorine atom on the top and bottom of the cluster.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Nov. 2023
Problem is, rhenium is one of the rarest elements out there, crimping any plans to make widespread Re6Se8Cl2 production a thing.
—David Meyer, Fortune Europe, 7 Nov. 2023
To study the weathering of organic carbon in rocks, the team used a tracer element called rhenium.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Oct. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Rhenium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhenium. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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Medical Definition
rhenium
noun
rhe·ni·um
ˈrē-nē-əm 
: a rare heavy metallic element that resembles manganese, is obtained either as a powder or as a silver-white hard metal, and is used in catalysts for dehydrogenation and in thermocouples
—symbol Re
see Chemical Elements Table
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