Molybdenum producers

Figure 2 Molybdenum K-edge X-ray absorption spectrum, ln(i /i ) versus X-ray energy (eV), for molybdenum metal foil (25- jjn thick), obtained by transmission at 77 K with synchrotron radiation. The energy-dependent constructive and destructive interference of outgoing and backscattered photoelectrons at molybdenum produces the EXAFS peaks and valleys, respectively. The preedge and edge structures marked here are known together as X-ray absorption near edge structure, XANES and EXAFS are provided in a new compilation of literature entitled X-rsy Absorption Fine Structure (S.S. Hasain, ed.) Ellis Norwood, New York, 1991.

STRUCTURE, MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR AND NANOHARDNESS OF CHROMIUM AND MOLYBDENUM PRODUCED BY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING... 

Structure, mechanical behavior and nanohardness of chromium and 343 molybdenum produced by magnetron sputtering... 

Figure 4. AFM images of indentation obtained in the chromium and molybdenum produced by magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates.

Molybdenum s melting point (2,623°C, or 4,753.4°F) exceeds that of steel by 1,000°C (1,832°F) and that of most rocks by 500°C (932°F). For this reason, the element is used in various alloys to improve strength, particularly at high temperatures. Approximately 75 percent of molybdenum produced is used by the iron and steel industries. The element is also utilized to make parts for furnaces, light bulbs, missiles, aircraft, and guns. Molybdenum disulfide is used as a high temperature lubricant, see also Coordination Compounds Inorganic Chemistry Scheele, Carl. 

Gr. technetos, artificial) Element 43 was predicted on the basis of the periodic table, and was erroneously reported as having been discovered in 1925, at which time it was named masurium. The element was actually discovered by Perrier and Segre in Italy in 1937. It was found in a sample of molybdenum, which was bombarded by deuterons in the Berkeley cyclotron, and which E. Eawrence sent to these investigators. Technetium was the first element to be produced artificially. Since its discovery, searches for the element in terrestrial material have been made. Finally in 1962, technetium-99 was isolated and identified in African pitchblende (a uranium rich ore) in extremely minute quantities as a spontaneous fission product of uranium-238 by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda. If it does exist, the concentration must be very small. Technetium has been found in the spectrum of S-, M-, and N-type stars, and its presence in stellar matter is leading to new theories of the production of heavy elements in the stars. 

Some molybdenum contain from 0.002% to 0.2% rhenium. More than 150,000 troy ounces of rhenium are now being produced yearly in the United States. The total estimated Free World reserve of rhenium metal is 3500 tons. Rhenium metal is prepared by reducing ammonium perrhentate with hydrogen at elevated temperatures. 

Although acrylonitrile manufacture from propylene and ammonia was first patented in 1949 (30), it was not until 1959, when Sohio developed a catalyst capable of producing acrylonitrile with high selectivity, that commercial manufacture from propylene became economically viable (1). Production improvements over the past 30 years have stemmed largely from development of several generations of increasingly more efficient catalysts. These catalysts are multicomponent mixed metal oxides mostly based on bismuth—molybdenum oxide. Other types of catalysts that have been used commercially are based on iron—antimony oxide, uranium—antimony oxide, and tellurium-molybdenum oxide. 

ARCO has developed a coproduct process which produces KA along with propylene oxide [75-56-9] (95—97). Cyclohexane is oxidized as in the high peroxide process to maximize the quantity of CHHP. The reactor effluent then is concentrated to about 20% CHHP by distilling off unreacted cyclohexane and cosolvent tert-huty alcohol [75-65-0]. This concentrate then is contacted with propylene [115-07-1] in another reactor in which the propylene is epoxidized with CHHP to form propylene oxide and KA. A molybdenum catalyst is employed. The product ratio is about 2.5 kg of KA pet kilogram of propylene oxide. 

Molybdenum hexafluoride [7783-77-9] MoF, is a volatile liquid at room temperature. It is very moisture sensitive, hydrolysing immediately upon contact with water to produce HF and molybdenum oxyfluorides. MoF should therefore be handled in a closed system or in a vacuum line located in a chemical hood. The crystals possess a body-centered cubic stmcture that changes to orthorhombic below —96° C (1,2). The known physical properties are Hsted in Table 1. 

Molybdenum hexafluoride is used in the manufacture of thin films (qv) for large-scale integrated circuits (qv) commonly known as LSIC systems (3,4), in the manufacture of metallised ceramics (see MetaL-MATRIX COMPOSITES) (5), and chemical vapor deposition of molybdenum and molybdenum—tungsten alloys (see Molybdenumand molybdenum alloys) (6,7). The latter process involves the reduction of gaseous metal fluorides by hydrogen at elevated temperatures to produce metals or their alloys such as molybdenum—tungsten, molybdenum—tungsten—rhenium, or molybdenum—rhenium alloys. 

Rhenium hexafluoride is a cosdy (ca 3000/kg) material and is often used as a small percentage composite with tungsten or molybdenum. The addition of rhenium to tungsten metal improves the ductility and high temperature properties of metal films or parts (11). Tungsten—rhenium alloys produced by CVD processes exhibit higher superconducting transition temperatures than those alloys produced by arc-melt processes (12). 

DRI retains the chemical purity of the iron ore from which it is produced, therefore it tends to be very low in residual elements such as copper, chrome, tin, nickel, and molybdenum. Typical ranges of DRI chemical compositions are shown in Table 2. 

Fused Salt Electrolysis. Only light RE metals (La to Nd) can be produced by molten salt electrolysis because these have a relatively low melting point compared to those of medium and heavy RE metals. Deposition of an alloy with another metal, Zn for example, is an alternative. The feed is a mixture of anhydrous RE chlorides and fluorides. The materials from which the electrolysis cell is constmcted are of great importance because of the high reactivity of the rare-earth metals. Molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, or alternatively iron with ceramic or graphite linings are used as cmcible materials. Carbon is frequently used as an anode material. 

Incandescent Lamps, Electronic Tubes, and Resistance Elements. Articles fashioned in any form from molybdenum and tungsten usually fall within the bounds of powder metallurgy. These metals normally are first produced as a powder. Both molybdenum and tungsten are used as targets in x-ray tubes, for stmctural shapes such as lead and grid wires in electron tubes, and as resistance elements in furnaces. 

Deficiency or Toxicity in Humans. Molybdenum deficiency in humans results in deranged metaboHsm of sulfur and purines and symptoms of mental disturbances (130). Toxic levels produce elevated uric acid in blood, gout, anemia, and growth depression. Faulty utiH2ation results in sulfite oxidase deficiency, a lethal inborn error. 

Chemical products are produced from technical-grade oxide in two very different ways. Molybdenum trioxide can be purified by a sublimation process because molybdenum trioxide has an appreciable vapor pressure above 650°C, a temperature at which most impurities have very low volatiUty. The alternative process uses wet chemical methods in which the molybdenum oxide is dissolved in ammonium hydroxide, leaving the gangue impurities behind. An ammonium molybdate is crystallized from the resulting solution. The ammonium molybdate can be used either directly or thermally decomposed to produce the pure oxide, MoO. ... 

---