Molybdenum is a silvery-grey metal that is typically mined as a byproduct of copper and tungsten mining. Molybdenum has a wide range of applications due to its unique properties.
Molybdenum metal has a high melting point of 4,730 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows for a wide range of applications. The metal is typically sold as a grey powder that has been compressed under high pressure to make products such as alloying agents and catalysts for the chemical industry.
Physical properties
Molybdenum wires have a silvery-white metallic appearance as a solid. It usually appears as a dark grey or black powder with a metallic luster.
It has a melting point of approximately 2,610°C (approximately 4,700°F) and a boiling point of approximately 4,800 to 5,560°C (8,600 to 10,000°F). It has a density of 10.28 g/cubic centimeters.
Chemical properties
Most common chemical reagents do not dissolve molybdenum. A chemical reagent is a substance used to investigate other substances, such as acids and alkalis. Molybdenum, for example, is not soluble in hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, or dilute sulfuric acid. These chemicals are reagents that are frequently used to determine how reactive a substance is. Molybdenum wires, on the other hand, dissolves in hot, strong sulfuric or nitric acids. At room temperature, the metal does not react with oxygen, but at high temperatures, it does.
Applications:
- Compounds
Several molybdenum compounds are used in industry and research. Surprisingly, molybdenum disulfide is still used as a lubricant, just as it was over two centuries ago. The slick black powder resembles graphite in appearance and behavior. In industrial operations, molybdenum is used to reduce friction between sliding or rolling parts. It does not degrade when heated or used for extended periods.
Other molybdenum compounds are used as protective coatings in high-temperature materials, lubricants, catalysts, and animal feed additives. In glasses, ceramics, and enamels as pigments and dyes.
- Lubricants
Molybdenum disulfide is formed when molybdenum and sulfur combine to form molybdenum disulfide, used to lubricate two-stroke engines, bicycle coaster brakes, bullets, ski waxes, and other items. It is also used in ball and roller bearing greases in the manufacturing, mining, and transportation industries.
Because it is derived from geothermal sources, molybdenum wires can withstand high temperatures and pressure. Thiophosphate and thiocarbamate, two oil-soluble molybdenum-sulfur compounds, protect engines from wear, oxidation, and corrosion.
- Pigments
Molybdenum is also used in the production of paints and dyes. Zinc molybdate is used in paint primers to prevent corrosion and stabilize color; it is also used to paint the metal surfaces of boats.
Lead, lead chromate, lead molybdate, and lead sulfate is used to make molybdenum oranges. The paint is resistant to light fading and weathering over time. Paints, inks, plastic and rubber products, and ceramics all make use of molybdenum oranges. Molybdophosphoric acid is used in the dyes methyl violet and Victoria blue, used in textiles and paints.
- Fertilizer
Molybdenum is a necessary nitrogenase component, which is found in nitrogen-fixing bacteria that remove nitrogen from the air and make it available to plants. Sodium molybdate is a white crystalline powder that is used to increase crop yields in cauliflower and beans.
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