Molybdenum Information: Boost Your Understanding

IRVINE, Calif. - Feb. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- Discovered in 1778 in Sweden, by Carl Welhelm Scheele, Molybdenum is a component of a mineral contained in an ore. Carl’s molybdenum research entailed an ore called molybdenite. His conclusion was that the ore did not possess any lead traces. Also he concluded that the ore contained a new component which he personally called molybdenum. Another chemist, Peter Jacob Hjelm created pure molybdenum metal from its impure structure in 1782.

On the Periodic Table of Element, molybdenum is designated by the symbol Mo. It is also number 42 among Group number 6 members of the Periodic Table. It has a few properties that make it unique. They include the following:

·         Elasticity - Its young modulus (Longitudinal Strain) is 329 GPa, rigidity modulus (alteration of shape due to tangential stress) is 20 GPa and bulk modulus (inverse of compressibility) is 230 GPa.

·         Electrical - Molybdenum is known to have electrical resistivity of 5.5*10^-8 Ω m.

·         Hardness - Moly’s mineral hardness on Moh Scale is 5.5. Since the scale ranges from 1 to 10, molybdenum hardness is rather high compared to the hardness of other metals like iron. It has the ability to scratch many other metals classed lower than itself on the Moh scale.

·         Temperature - Mo has a melting point of 2623 degrees Celsius and a boiling point of 4912 degrees Celsius.

^·          Density - Molybdenum density is 10280 kg/m³.

Moly is not easily recognizable as it resembles copper and aluminum. It is a grayish-white metal with a silvery finish. Molybdenum material was used in steel alloys during the First World War as a substitute for tungsten which was scarce then. Again its popularity went down until the Second World War began. The reason why Mo is preferred as an alloying agent is because of its durability, corrosion resistance, extreme temperature resistance and physical strength.

Superalloys that contain molybdenum include nickel based alloys. They are grouped into two: corrosion resistant alloys and high temperature alloys. The latter can be divided further into age-hardenable and solid-solution strengthened. In corrosion-proof nickel-based alloys kept in non-oxidizing surroundings, molybdenum increases their safety in sulfuric acid and halide acids. Moly can also protect against serious corrosion attacks, such as crevice corrosion and pitting when combined with chromium. Good examples of nickel-based alloys that are corrosion-proof in non-oxidizing conditions include C-22, B-3 and C-2000.

These nickel-based molybdenum alloys have many applications in the pharmaceutical industries, petrochemical and pollution control factories and chemical processing industries among others. When moly is used in high-temperature alloys, it protects the alloys from heat damage. It particularly circulates gradually in nickel for solid-solution strengthened alloys. In the age-hardenable alloys that use gamma-prime precipitation, Mo is added to strengthen and minimize lattice variance. Of all moly alloys, steel alloys tolerate the highest temperature quantities and pressures. Because of this property, molybdenum is used in the constructions of jet engines and wrought car components. Also construction and durability of molybdenum wires, electrodes, and tubes depend on its resilience and strength. It can also be shaped into rods, discs, plates, screws, nuts and many other small molybdenum parts.

By Stanford Materials   http://stanfordmaterials.com

Stanford Materials Corporation is a worldwide supplier of various oxides, metals, alloys, advanced ceramic materials, and minerals. It was established in 1994 to supply high quality rare earth products to our customers in the research and development fields. To meet increasing demands for rare earth products and other materials, Stanford Materials now carries a variety of materials to serve not only our customers in research and development but also manufacturers in the ceramic, metallurgy and electronic industries. Stanford Materials carries both technical grade materials for industries as well as high purity chemicals (up to 99.99999%) for research institutes.