Introduction To Molybdenum

Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo. Pure molybdenum is a dark gray or black powder or silvery-white lumps with a metallic luster. It does not occur naturally in its pure metallic form. It exists primarily as oxides or sulfides.

Therefore, almost all exposures are molybdenum compounds, not elemental molybdenum. Important naturally occurring molybdenum compounds are molybdenite, spruce, ferromolybdenite, and manganese oxide minerals. Molybdenum has a very high melting point and is widely used industrially in the manufacture of steel alloys. A key characteristic of molybdenum chemistry is its ability to form complex isopolyacid and heteropolyacid anions.