Abstract. Metallic and carburized tungsten nanoparticles have been prepared using WCl6 as precursor. The synthesis steps lead from tungsten hexachloride to tungsten carbide following the sequence WCl6 - W0 - a-W2C - WC. These different compounds have been mainly characterized by X-ray diffraction, TEM observations and adsorption measurements. The total reduction of tungsten hexachloride ca…