 Discovery Information |
| Who:
Karl Wilhelm Scheele
|
| When: 1778 |
| Where: Sweden |
|
| Name Origin |
| Greek: molubdos (lead-like). |
|
| Sources |
| Found in the minerals molybdenite (MoS2) and wulfenite (MoO4Pb) and as a byproduct of copper mining. |
|
| Uses |
| In small quantities, molybdenum is effective at hardening steel. Used in aircraft, missiles, filaments in electric heaters and protective coatings in boiler plates. Molybdenum oranges are pigments ranging from red-yellow to a bright red orange and used in paints, inks, plastics, and rubber compounds. Molybdenum disulfide is a good lubricant, especially at high temperatures. |
|
| Notes |
| Molybdenum has been found to have a role in the biology of all classes of organisms. It is found in two groups of enzymes, the nitrogenases and the molybdopterins. |
| Molybdenum dusts and molybdenum compounds, such as molybdenum trioxide and water-soluble molybdates, may have slight toxicities if inhaled or ingested orally. Laboratory tests suggest, compared to many heavy metals, that molybdenum is of relatively low toxicity. Acute toxicity in humans is unlikely because the dose required would be exceptionally large. |
