Molybdenum Facts
Molybdenum Facts
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| Interesting Molybdenum Facts: |
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| Carl Wilhelm Scheele of Sweden discovered molybdenum in 1781. |
| He was experimenting with molybdenite ore, which was always believed to contain lead. |
| Scheele demonstrated that the element was not lead, and named the new element after the mineral. |
| Molybdenum is not a naturally occurring element, but is always found in its different states within other minerals. |
| Molybdenum is vital for the enzymes in bacteria to undergo nitrogen fixation. |
| There are approximately fifty molybdenum-containing enzymes, which are found in both bacteria and animals. |
| It is necessary for all eukaryotes. |
| Molybdenum is the fifty-fourth most common element on Earth (crust). |
| It is the twenty-fifth most commonly occurring element in the Earth's oceans. |
| The Russian space program's Luna 24 mission also discovered samples of molybdenum on the moon. |
| Molybdenum has the sixth highest melting point of all elements. |
| Molybdenum has thirty-five known isotopes. |
| Seven of those isotopes occur naturally. |
| Of those seven, only one, Mb-100, is unstable. |
| Almost 25% of all molybdenum is Mb-98, making it the most abundant. |
| It does not react with water at normal temperatures, but above 600 degrees Celsius it forms molbydenum trioxide. |
| Molybdenum trioxide is extremely volatile, and cannot form a protective oxidation layer. |
| The tensile strength of molybdenum increases as the diameter of the sample decreases. |
| This makes it highly valuable for producing molybdenum wires. |
| While mined commercially from other ores, molybdenum is also produced as a result of tungsten and copper mining. |
| Molybdenum has served a number of purposes in the military. |
| It was used as a plating on British WWI tanks, allowing greater speed and maneuvering while still offering protection. |
| Molybdenum alloyed with steel was used by the German army to create heavy artillery pieces. |
| The famous "Big Bertha" German howitzers were made from a molybdenum steel alloy, as steel alone melted under the heat from the blast. |
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