Molybdenum (Mo)

Molybdenum is the 42nd element in the periodic table and has a symbol of Mo and atomic number of 42. It has an atomic weight of 95.95 and a mass number of 98. Molybdenum has forty-two protons and fifty-six neutrons in its nucleus, and forty-two electrons in five shells. It is located in group six, period five and block d of the periodic table. Silvery-white, hard metallic transition element. It is chemically unreactive and is not affected by most acids. It oxidizes at high temperatures. There are seven natural isotopes, and four radioisotopes, Mo-93 being the most stable with a half-life of 3500 years. Molybdenum is used in almost all high-strength steels, it has nuclear applications, and is a catalyst in petroleum refining. Discovered in 1778 by Carl Welhelm Scheele of Sweden. Impure metal was prepared in 1782 by Peter Jacob Hjelm. The name comes from the Greek word molybdos which means lead. Trace amounts of molybdenum are required for all known forms of life. All molybdenum compounds should be considered highly toxic, and will also cause severe birth defects.

Atomic Number	42
Atomic Weight	95.95
Mass Number	98

Group	6
Period	5
Block	d

Protons	42 p⁺
Neutrons	56 n⁰
Electrons	42 e^-

Properties

Physical Properties
Atomic Radius	145 pm 244 pm
Molar Volume	9.4 cm³/mol
Covalent Radius	138 pm 121 pm 113 pm 154 pm
Metallic Radius	130 pm 139 pm
Ionic Radius	69 pm 65 pm 46 pm 61 pm 41 pm 50 pm 59 pm 73 pm
Crystal Radius	83 pm 79 pm 60 pm 75 pm 55 pm 64 pm 73 pm 87 pm
Van der Waals Radius	210 pm 217 pm 239 pm 305.2 pm
Density	10.2 g/cm³ 9,330 kg/m³
Energy
Proton Affinity
Electron Affinity	0.748 eV/particle
Ionization Energy	7.09243 eV/particle 16.16 eV/particle 27.13 eV/particle 40.33 eV/particle 54.485 eV/particle 68.82704 eV/particle 125.638 eV/particle 143.6 eV/particle 164.12 eV/particle 186.3 eV/particle 209.3 eV/particle 230.28 eV/particle 279.1 eV/particle 302.6 eV/particle 544 eV/particle 591 eV/particle 646 eV/particle 702 eV/particle 758 eV/particle 829 eV/particle 890 eV/particle 953 eV/particle 1,019 eV/particle 1,082 eV/particle 1,263 eV/particle 1,319.6 eV/particle 1,385.1 eV/particle 1,462 eV/particle 1,537 eV/particle 1,587 eV/particle 1,730.1 eV/particle 1,790.932 eV/particle 4,259 eV/particle 4,430 eV/particle 4,618 eV/particle 4,800 eV/particle 5,084 eV/particle 5,287 eV/particle 5,548 eV/particle 5,713.194 eV/particle 23,810.653 eV/particle 24,572.15 eV/particle

Heat of Vaporization	590 kJ/mol
Heat of Fusion	28 kJ/mol
Heat of Formation	658.98 kJ/mol
Electrons
Electron Shells	2, 8, 18, 13, 1

Valence Electrons	1 ⓘ

Electron Configuration	[Kr] 4d⁵ 5s¹ⓘ 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 4d⁵ 5s¹

Oxidation States	-4, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Electronegativity	8.71 eV/particle 0.1312672 2.16
Electrophilicity Index	1.2111478608972754 eV/particle
States of Matter
Phase	Solid
Gas Phase
Boiling Point	4,912.15 K
Melting Point	2,895.15 K
Critical Pressure
Critical Temperature
Triple Point
Visual
Molybdenum is a Gray. Mo has a CPK of #ff1493, Jmol of #54b5b5, and MOLCAS GV of #54b5b5. The Appearance of Element 42 is gray metallic.
Color	Gray #ff1493 #54b5b5 #54b5b5
Appearance	gray metallic
Refractive Index
Thermodynamic Properties
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal Expansion	0.0000048 1/K
Molar Heat Capacity	24.06 J/(mol K)
Specific Heat Capacity	0.251 J/(g⋅K)
Heat Capacity Ratio (Adiabatic Index)
Electrical Properties
Type	Conductor
Electrical Conductivity	20 MS/m
Electrical Resistivity	0.00000004999999999997 m Ω
Superconducting Point	0.915 K
Magnetism
Type	paramagnetic
Magnetic Susceptibility (Mass)	0.0000000117 m³/Kg
Magnetic Susceptibility (Molar)	0.000000001122 m³/mol
Magnetic Susceptibility (Volume)	0.0001203
Magnetic Ordering
Curie Point
Neel Point
Structure
The Crystal Structure of Molybdenum is BCC. The lattice constant of Mo is 3.15 Å. The lattice angles of Element 42 are π/2, π/2, π/2.
Crystal Structure	Body Centered Cubic (BCC)
Lattice Constant	3.15 Å
Lattice Angles	π/2, π/2, π/2
Mechanical Properties
Molybdenum has a Brinell of 1500 MPa, Mohs hardness of 5.5 MPa, and Vickers of 1530 MPa. The Bulk Modulus of Mo is 230 GPa. The Shear Modulus of Element 42 is 120 GPa. The Young Modulus of Molybdenum (Mo) is 329 GPa. The Poisson Ratio of Molybdenum is 0.31. The Speed of Sound of Mo is 6190 m/s.
Hardness	1,500 MPa 5.5 MPa 1,530 MPa
Bulk Modulus	230 GPa
Shear Modulus	120 GPa
Young's Modulus	329 GPa
Poisson Ratio	0.31
Speed of Sound	6,190 m/s
Classification
The CAS Group of Molybdenum is VIA. The IUPAC Group of Mo is VIB. The Glawe Number of Element 42 is 56. The Mendeleev Number of Molybdenum (Mo) is 52. The Pettifor Number of Molybdenum is 55. The Goldschmidt Class of Mo is siderophile.
Category	Transition metals, Transition metals
CAS Group	VIA
IUPAC Group	VIB
Glawe Number	56
Mendeleev Number	52
Pettifor Number	55
Geochemical Class
Goldschmidt Class	siderophile
Other
The Dipole Polarizability of Molybdenum is 87 plus or minus 6 a₀. Mo has a C6 Dispersion Coefficient (GB) of 1030 a₀. The Allotropes of Element 42 is . The Neutron Cross Section of Molybdenum (Mo) is 2.6. The Neutron Mass Absorption of Molybdenum is 0.0009. The Quantum Numbers of Mo is 7S3. The Space Group of Element 42 is 229 (Im_3m).
Gas Basicity
Dipole Polarizability	87 ± 6 a₀
C6 Dispersion Coefficient	1,030 a₀
Allotropes
Neutron Cross Section	2.6
Neutron Mass Absorption	0.0009
Quantum Numbers	7S3
Space Group	229 (Im_3m)

Isotopes of Molybdenum

Stable Isotopes	4
Unstable Isotopes	35
Radioactive Isotopes	35

⁸¹Mo

Mass Number	81
Neutron Number	39
Relative Atomic Mass	80.966226 ± 0.000537 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2013
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)
β⁺ p (β⁺-delayed proton emission)

⁸²Mo

Mass Number	82
Neutron Number	40
Relative Atomic Mass	81.956661 ± 0.000429 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	2013
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)
β⁺ p (β⁺-delayed proton emission)

⁸³Mo

Mass Number	83
Neutron Number	41
Relative Atomic Mass	82.950252 ± 0.00043 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	23 ± 19 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1999
Parity	-

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
β⁺ p (β⁺-delayed proton emission)

⁸⁴Mo

Mass Number	84
Neutron Number	42
Relative Atomic Mass	83.941846 ± 0.00032 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	2.3 ± 0.3 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1991
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
β⁺ p (β⁺-delayed proton emission)

⁸⁵Mo

Mass Number	85
Neutron Number	43
Relative Atomic Mass	84.938260736 ± 0.000017 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	3.2 ± 0.2 s
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1992
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
β⁺ p (β⁺-delayed proton emission)	0.14%

⁸⁶Mo

Mass Number	86
Neutron Number	44
Relative Atomic Mass	85.931174092 ± 0.000003147 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	19.1 ± 0.3 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1991
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%

⁸⁷Mo

Mass Number	87
Neutron Number	45
Relative Atomic Mass	86.928196198 ± 0.000003067 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	14.1 ± 0.3 s
Spin	7/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1977
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
β⁺ p (β⁺-delayed proton emission)	15%

⁸⁸Mo

Mass Number	88
Neutron Number	46
Relative Atomic Mass	87.921967779 ± 0.0000041 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	8 ± 0.2 m
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1971
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%

⁸⁹Mo

Mass Number	89
Neutron Number	47
Relative Atomic Mass	88.919468149 ± 0.0000042 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	2.11 ± 0.1 m
Spin	9/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1980
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%

⁹⁰Mo

Mass Number	90
Neutron Number	48
Relative Atomic Mass	89.91393127 ± 0.000003717 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	5.56 ± 0.09 h
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1953
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%

⁹¹Mo

Mass Number	91
Neutron Number	49
Relative Atomic Mass	90.91174519 ± 0.000006696 Da
G-Factor	-0.20688888888889 ± 0.00066666666666667
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	15.49 ± 0.01 m
Spin	9/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1948
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%

⁹²Mo

Mass Number	92
Neutron Number	50
Relative Atomic Mass	91.906807153 ± 0.000000168 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance	14.649 ± 0.106
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
2β⁺ (double β⁺ decay)

⁹³Mo

Mass Number	93
Neutron Number	51
Relative Atomic Mass	92.906808772 ± 0.000000193 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	4 ± 0.8 ky
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1946
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
ϵ (electron capture)	100%

⁹⁴Mo

Mass Number	94
Neutron Number	52
Relative Atomic Mass	93.905083586 ± 0.000000151 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance	9.187 ± 0.033
Radioactivity	Stable
Half Life	Not Radioactive ☢️
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

⁹⁵Mo

Mass Number	95
Neutron Number	53
Relative Atomic Mass	94.905837436 ± 0.000000132 Da
G-Factor
Abundance	15.873 ± 0.03
Radioactivity	Stable
Half Life	Not Radioactive ☢️
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment	-0.022 ± 0.001
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

⁹⁶Mo

Mass Number	96
Neutron Number	54
Relative Atomic Mass	95.90467477 ± 0.000000128 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance	16.673 ± 0.008
Radioactivity	Stable
Half Life	Not Radioactive ☢️
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

⁹⁷Mo

Mass Number	97
Neutron Number	55
Relative Atomic Mass	96.906016903 ± 0.000000176 Da
G-Factor
Abundance	9.582 ± 0.015
Radioactivity	Stable
Half Life	Not Radioactive ☢️
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment	0.255 ± 0.013
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

⁹⁸Mo

Mass Number	98
Neutron Number	56
Relative Atomic Mass	97.905403609 ± 0.000000186 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance	24.292 ± 0.08
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
2β⁻ (double β⁻ decay)

⁹⁹Mo

Mass Number	99
Neutron Number	57
Relative Atomic Mass	98.907707299 ± 0.000000245 Da
G-Factor	0.75 ± 0.006
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	65.932 ± 0.005 h
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1948
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰⁰Mo

Mass Number	100
Neutron Number	58
Relative Atomic Mass	99.907467982 ± 0.000000322 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance	9.744 ± 0.065
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	7.07 ± 0.14 Ey
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1930
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
2β⁻ (double β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰¹Mo

Mass Number	101
Neutron Number	59
Relative Atomic Mass	100.910337648 ± 0.000000331 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	14.61 ± 0.03 m
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1941
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰²Mo

Mass Number	102
Neutron Number	60
Relative Atomic Mass	101.910293725 ± 0.000008916 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	11.3 ± 0.2 m
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1954
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰³Mo

Mass Number	103
Neutron Number	61
Relative Atomic Mass	102.913091954 ± 0.0000099 Da
G-Factor	-0.18 ± 0.013333333333333
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	67.5 ± 1.5 s
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1963
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰⁴Mo

Mass Number	104
Neutron Number	62
Relative Atomic Mass	103.913747443 ± 0.000009566 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	60 ± 2 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1962
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰⁵Mo

Mass Number	105
Neutron Number	63
Relative Atomic Mass	104.916981989 ± 0.000009721 Da
G-Factor	-0.22 ± 0.008
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	36.3 ± 0.8 s
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1962
Parity	-

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰⁶Mo

Mass Number	106
Neutron Number	64
Relative Atomic Mass	105.918273231 ± 0.000009801 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	8.73 ± 0.12 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1969
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰⁷Mo

Mass Number	107
Neutron Number	65
Relative Atomic Mass	106.92211977 ± 0.000009901 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	3.5 ± 0.5 s
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1972
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

¹⁰⁸Mo

Mass Number	108
Neutron Number	66
Relative Atomic Mass	107.924047508 ± 0.000009901 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	1.105 ± 0.01 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1972
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	0.5%

¹⁰⁹Mo

Mass Number	109
Neutron Number	67
Relative Atomic Mass	108.928438318 ± 0.000012 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	700 ± 14 ms
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1992
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	1.3%

¹¹⁰Mo

Mass Number	110
Neutron Number	68
Relative Atomic Mass	109.930717956 ± 0.000026 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	292 ± 7 ms
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1992
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	2%

¹¹¹Mo

Mass Number	111
Neutron Number	69
Relative Atomic Mass	110.935651966 ± 0.000013503 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	193.6 ± 4.4 ms
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1994
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	12%

¹¹²Mo

Mass Number	112
Neutron Number	70
Relative Atomic Mass	111.938293 ± 0.000215 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	125 ± 5 ms
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1994
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)

¹¹³Mo

Mass Number	113
Neutron Number	71
Relative Atomic Mass	112.943478 ± 0.000322 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	80 ± 2 ms
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1994
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)

¹¹⁴Mo

Mass Number	114
Neutron Number	72
Relative Atomic Mass	113.946666 ± 0.000322 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	58 ± 2 ms
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1997
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)

¹¹⁵Mo

Mass Number	115
Neutron Number	73
Relative Atomic Mass	114.952174 ± 0.000429 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	45.5 ± 2 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2010
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)
2n (2-neutron emission)

¹¹⁶Mo

Mass Number	116
Neutron Number	74
Relative Atomic Mass	115.955759 ± 0.000537 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	32 ± 4 ms
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	2010
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)
2n (2-neutron emission)

¹¹⁷Mo

Mass Number	117
Neutron Number	75
Relative Atomic Mass	116.961686 ± 0.000537 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	22 ± 5 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2010
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)
2n (2-neutron emission)

¹¹⁸Mo

Mass Number	118
Neutron Number	76
Relative Atomic Mass	117.965249 ± 0.000537 Da
G-Factor	0
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life	21 ± 6 ms
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	2015
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)
2n (2-neutron emission)

¹¹⁹Mo

Mass Number	119
Neutron Number	77
Relative Atomic Mass	118.971465 ± 0.000322 Da
G-Factor
Abundance
Radioactivity	☢️ Radioactive
Half Life
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2018
Parity	+

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)
2n (2-neutron emission)

History

Molybdenite was often confused for graphite and it was thought to contain lead. In 1778 Swedish scientist Carl Wilhelm Scheele proved that molybdenite was not graphite nor did it contain lead. In 1781, Scheele's friend and countryman, Peter J. Hjelm isolated the metal by using carbon and linseed oil. From the Greek word molybdo, lead

Discoverers	Carl Wilhelm Scheele
Discovery Location	Sweden
Discovery Year	1778
Etymology (Name Origin)	Greek: molybdos (lead).
Pronunciation	meh-LIB-deh-nem (English)

Molybdenum is toxic in all but small quantities

Molybdenum is essential for plant foliage health

Uses

Molybdenum is used as glass furnace electrodes due to its high melting point. The metal is also used in nuclear energy applications and for missile and aircraft parts. Molybdenum is valuable as a catalyst in the refining of petroleum. Molybdenum is used in small quantities to harden steel and is used in many alloys. Its alloys are used in aircraft, missiles, and protective coatings in boiler plate.

Sources

Found in the minerals molybdenite (MoS2) and wulfenite (MoO4Pb).

Abundance
Abundance in Earth's crust	1.2 mg/kg
Natural Abundance (Oceans)	0.01 mg/L
Natural Abundance (Human Body)	0.00001 %
Natural Abundance (Meteor)	0.00012 %
Natural Abundance (Sun)	0.0000009 %
Abundance in Universe	0.0000005 %

Nuclear Screening Constants

1	s	0.8744
2	p	4.0282
2	s	11.1232
3	d	14.7717
3	p	16.5264
3	s	16.0185
4	d	30.6076
4	p	27.0232
4	s	25.9036
5	s	35.894

Also Known As

Mo
element 42
42Mo
molybdenum atom
elemental molybdenum
metallic molybdenum

Translations

Norwegian Bokmålmolybden
Frenchmolybdène
Italianmolibdeno
GermanMolybdän
Dutchmolybdeen
Norwegian Nynorskmolybden
Danishmolybdæn
Swedishmolybden
Hungarianmolibdén
Afrikaansmolibdeen
Amharicሞሊብዴነም
AragoneseMolibdén
Arabicموليبدنوم
AzerbaijaniMolibden
BelarusianМалібдэн
Bulgarianмолибден
Banglaমলিবডেনাম
BretonMolibden
Bosnianmolibden
Catalanmolibdè
CorsicanMolibdenu
Czechmolybden
ChuvashМолибден
WelshMolybdenwm
Divehiމޮލިބްޑިނަމް
Greekμολυβδαίνιο
Esperantomolibdeno
Spanishmolibdeno
EstonianMolübdeen
Basquemolibdeno
Persianمولیبدن
Finnishmolybdeeni
FriulianMolibden
IrishMolaibdéineam
GalicianMolibdeno
ManxMolybdenum
Hakka Chinesemolybdenum
Hebrewמוליבדן
Hindiमोलिब्डेनम
Fiji HindiMolybdenum
CroatianMolibden
Armenianմոլիբդեն
Interlinguamolybdeno
Indonesianmolibdenum
Idomolibdo
Icelandicmólýbden
Japaneseモリブデン
Lojbanmlibdena
JavaneseMolibden
Georgianმოლიბდენი
KazakhМолибден
Kannadaಮಾಲಿಬ್ಡಿನಮ್
Korean몰리브데넘
KurdishMolîbden
KomiМолибден
Latinmolybdenum
LuxembourgishMolybdän
LigurianMolibden
LithuanianMolibdenas
Latvianmolibdēns
MacedonianМолибден
Malayalamമൊളിബ്ഡിനം
Mongolianмолибден
Marathiमॉलिब्डेनम
Western MariМолибден
MalayMolibdenum
OccitanMolibdèn
Punjabiਮੋਲਿਬਡੇਨਮ
Polishmolibden
pnbمولیبیڈینم
Portuguesemolibdénio
QuechuaMolibdenu
Romanianmolibden
Russianмолибден
Sicilianmulibdenu
Serbo-CroatianMolibden
Slovakmolybdén
SlovenianMolibden
Serbianмолибден
Saterland FrisianMolybdän
SwahiliMolibdeni
Tamilமாலிப்டினம்
Thaiโมลิบดีนัม
TurkishMolibden
Uyghurمولبېدىن
Ukrainianмолібден
UzbekMolibden
VepsMolibden
Vietnamesemolypden
WarayMolibdeno
KalmykМолибдениүм
YorubaMolybdenum
Chinese鉬
German (Switzerland)Molybdän
English (Canada)Molybdenum
English (United Kingdom)molybdenum
Portuguese (Brazil)molibdênio
CebuanoMolibdeno
Central Kurdishمۆلیبدێنۆم
Gujaratiમોલિબ્ડેનમ
Odiaମଲିବ୍‌ଡ଼େନମ
PiedmonteseMolibden
TatarМолибден
Scotsmolybdenum
Cantonese鉬
ErzyaМолибден
SomaliMolybdenum
Belarusian (Taraskievica orthography)Малібдэн
AlbanianMolibdeni
AromanianMolibdenu
Newariमोलिब्डेनम
KyrgyzМолибден
cdoMŭk
LimburgishMolybdeen
Sanskritमोलिब्डेनम
Maltesemolibdenu
LombardMolibdeno
Scottish GaelicMoilibdeanum
Nepaliमोलिब्डेनम
TajikМолибден
Paliमोलिब्डेनम
Min Nan ChineseMolybdenum
AsturianMolibdenu
Tibetanམོ་ལིབ་ཌེ་ནིམ།
SundaneseMolibdénum
Bhojpuriमोलिब्डेनम
Literary Chinese鉬
Urduمولیبڈینم
TagalogMolibdeno
kbpMɔlɩbɩdɛnɩ
oloMolibden
Lingua Franca Novamolibdeno
Northern FrisianMolybdeen
Chinese (China)钼
Chinese (Traditional)鉬
Chinese (Taiwan)鉬
Yiddishמאליבדען
Chinese (Simplified)钼
Wu Chinese钼
Teluguమాలిబ్డెనం
Burmeseမိုလိပ်ဒီနမ်
SardinianMolibdenu
KotavaMoldel
Moroccan Arabicموليبدين
Egyptian Arabicموليبدنوم
Pashtoموليبډينوم
Chinese (Hong Kong SAR China)鉬
CornishMolybdenom
bclMolibdeno
BalineseMolibdénum
MalagasyMôlibdena

Molybdenum on ChemicalAid

Art & Architecture Thesaurus ID	300380170
Australian Educational Vocabulary ID	scot/3544
BNCF Thesaurus ID	35295
Biblioteca Nacional de España ID	XX530045
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID	12133408t
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie online ID	molybdän
CAS Registry Number	7439-98-7
Canadian Encyclopedia article ID	molybdenum
ChEBI ID	28685
ChEBI ID	49750
ChemSpider ID	22374
DSSTOX compound identifier	DTXCID604207
DSSTox substance ID	DTXSID1024207
Den Store Danske ID	molybdæn
DrugBank ID	11137
ECHA Substance Infocard ID	100.028.279
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID	science/molybdenum
Encyclopædia Universalis ID	molybdene
EuroVoc ID	1964
Freebase ID	/m/025s0zx
GND ID	4170407-1
Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID	2224561
HSDB ID	5032
Human Metabolome Database ID	HMDB0001302
ICSC ID	1003
InChI	InChI=1S/Mo
InChIKey	ZOKXTWBITQBERF-UHFFFAOYSA-N
KBpedia ID	Molybdenum
KEGG ID	C00150
Krugosvet article	nauka_i_tehnika/himiya/MOLIBDEN.html
Library of Congress authority ID	sh85086637
MeSH descriptor ID	D008982
NALT ID	53287
NDF-RT ID	N0000148158
NDL Authority ID	00567847
NE.se ID	mo-(molybden)
NE.se ID	molybden
NKCR AUT ID	ph727812
Namuwiki ID	몰리브데넘
National Library of Israel J9U ID	987007541011705171
OmegaWiki Defined Meaning	337009
OpenAlex ID	C549387045
PDB ligand ID	MO
PDB structure ID	1OGY
PDB structure ID	3R19
PDB structure ID	2JIR
PDB structure ID	3HC2
PDB structure ID	5CH7
PDB structure ID	1XDQ
PDB structure ID	5E7O
PDB structure ID	2V3V
PDB structure ID	1SOX
PDB structure ID	4YDD
PDB structure ID	2JIO
PDB structure ID	2JIM
PDB structure ID	5ERU
PDB structure ID	2VPW
PDB structure ID	2VPX
PDB structure ID	2VPY
PDB structure ID	2VPZ
PDB structure ID	4NDR
PDB structure ID	4NDP
PDB structure ID	4NDQ
PDB structure ID	4NDO
PDB structure ID	2IV2
PDB structure ID	2IVF
PDB structure ID	2A9A
PDB structure ID	2A9B
PDB structure ID	2A9C
PDB structure ID	2A9D
PDB structure ID	2A99
PDB structure ID	2V45
PDB structure ID	5CHC
PDB structure ID	3R18
PDB structure ID	4ZOH
PDB structure ID	2NAP
PDB structure ID	2JIQ
PDB structure ID	2JIP
PDB structure ID	1R27
PDB structure ID	4F6T
PSH ID	5769
PatientsLikeMe treatment ID	molybdenum
Probes And Drugs ID	PD061008
PubChem CID	23932
Quora topic ID	Molybdenum
RxNorm ID	7024
STW Thesaurus for Economics ID	18238-5
Store norske leksikon ID	molybden
Treccani ID	molibdeno
UK Parliament thesaurus ID	443374
UMLS CUI	C0026402
UNII	81AH48963U
USGS Thesaurus ID	1509
WikiSkripta ID	30614
WordNet 3.1 Synset ID	14669839-n
YSO ID	11107
ZVG number	8330

Molybdenum (Mo)

Properties

Isotopes of Molybdenum

81Mo

82Mo

83Mo

84Mo

85Mo

86Mo

87Mo

88Mo

89Mo

90Mo

91Mo

92Mo

93Mo

94Mo

95Mo

96Mo

97Mo

98Mo

99Mo

100Mo

101Mo

102Mo

103Mo

104Mo

105Mo

106Mo

107Mo

108Mo

109Mo

110Mo

111Mo

112Mo

113Mo

114Mo

115Mo

116Mo

117Mo

118Mo

119Mo