Molybdenum

Symbol: Mo

Atomic Number: 42

Atomic Weight: 95.94

Molybdenum (atomic number 42, symbol Mo) is a chemical element and a silvery metal, which readily forms stable, hard carbides. It has the 6th highest melting point of all elements and is often used in steel alloys. The element occurs in minerals in different oxidation states and is not found as a free metal in nature.

Minerals containing molybdenum have been known for a long time, but the element itself was discovered in 1778 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. In 1781, Peter Jacob Hjelm isolated the element using linseed oil and carbon. Molybdenum had no industrial application for about a century...Read More