Molybdenum Introduction

Molybdenum (Molybdenum) is a transition metal element in Group VI B (chromium group) of the fifth period of the periodic table. Its symbol is Mo, its atomic number is 42, and its relative atomic mass is 95.95. Its relative density is 10.28 g/cm³, its melting point is 2622°C, and its boiling point is 4639°C. Its resistivity is 5.2×10-8 Ω·m (20°C).
Molybdenum possesses high strength, high hardness, and excellent mechanical properties, maintaining these high strength and hardness even at high temperatures. Molybdenum is primarily used in steelmaking, and alloy steels incorporating molybdenum possess high strength, high toughness, outstanding heat resistance, and corrosion resistance. Metallic molybdenum is widely used in electronic devices such as electron tubes, transistors, and rectifiers.
Important molybdenum compounds include molybdenum oxide, molybdenum sulfide, molybdates, and molybdenum polyacids. Molybdenum occurs primarily in nature as molybdenite (primarily composed of molybdenum disulfide). Molybdenite is oxidized to molybdenum oxide, which is then reduced with hydrogen or aluminothermic methods to produce elemental molybdenum. Molybdenum is primarily used in specialty alloys, electrodes, and catalysts. It is an essential trace element for the human body.