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Molybdenum

Geologically, the majority of the world's supply of Molybdenum comes from porphyry ores to be found along the Nazca/American plate fault line on the Pacific coast - in other words, northern Chile, Peru, California, Arizona, and along the Rockies into Western Canada.

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These are the same ores where Rhenium is also found as a by-product of the Molybdenum with Mo arising between 400 and 800 ppm in the ore, and Rhenium at 40 ppm (i.e. ten times lower). The two elements are inextricably linked here as Rhenium is only recovered in the process to obtain Molybdenum Trioxide from Molybdenite.

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Molybdenum is a high-melting point material, and finds applications in high temperature alloys used for tool-making with Tungsten. The element is also widely used in spray-powder form to enhance corrosion resistance and in some oil catalysts to capture sulphur at refineries.

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We buy and trade Molybdenum in metal form both as scrap or bar Mo 99.9% min. 

Molybdenum Facts

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This material was isolated by P.J. Hjelm in 1781 at Uppsala, Sweden. The principal ore is molybdenite, purified, heated to MoO3 and reduced to Mo with hydrogen. The metal structure is bcc.

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It is a lustrous silvery metal usually obtained as a grey powder. Molybdenum metal combines with oxygen at red heat and slowly assumes a blue patina in air.

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It is attacked slowly by acids such as HNO3 and HF. It is used in alloys, electrodes and catalysts. When above 500°C it is necessary to exclude air from molybdenum to prevent formation of the oxide, which does not form a protective layer. The rate of oxidation is proportional to temperature and is very rapid above 1000°C.

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Molybdenum in higher quantities up to 5% is present in almost all high speed tool steels, where hardness is necessary. The fact that molybdenum forms stable hard carbides with available carbon accounts for these qualities and the increased creep strength of nickel chromium molybdenum steel.

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Atomic no.
Relative Atomic Mass
Melting Point
Boiling Point
Density
Electrical Resistivity
Young's Modulus
Heat Capacity
Abundance 
Thermal Conductivity
42
95.94
2623 °C
4639 °C
10220 kg/m3
53.4 nΩ⋅m
324.8 GPa
24.04 J/K⋅mol
1.5 ppm
139 W/m⋅K
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