Tungsten was first isolated as a chemical element in 1783 by the Spanish brothers Juan José and Fausto de Elhuyar, who reduced tungstic acid (from the mineral wolframite) with charcoal to obtain the metal.

More context in brief:

  • In 1781, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele had discovered tungstic acid in a mineral now called scheelite and suggested it contained a new metal.
  • Building on this, the Elhuyar brothers showed in 1783 that tungstic acid from wolframite was the same and then successfully reduced it to the metallic element now known as tungsten (also called wolfram).

So, while the key precursor work dates to 1781, the actual discovery and isolation of metallic tungsten is credited to 1783.