Molybdenum properties

Annealed rhenium is very ductile, and can be bent, coiled, or rolled. Rhenium is used as an additive to tungsten and molybdenum -based alloys to impart useful properties. 

Common alloying elements include nickel to improve low temperature mechanical properties chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium to improve elevated-temperature properties and silicon to improve properties at ordinary temperatures. Low alloy steels ate not used where corrosion is a prime factor and are usually considered separately from stainless steels. 

Molybdenum Oxides. Molybdenum was one of the first elements used to retard the flames of ceUulosics (2). Mote recently it has been used to impart flame resistance and smoke suppression to plastics (26). Molybdic oxide, ammonium octamolybdate, and zinc molybdate ate the most widely used molybdenum flame retardants. Properties ate given in Table 5. These materials ate recommended almost exclusively for poly(vinyl chloride), its alloys, and unsaturated polyesters (qv). 

Flotation or froth flotation is a physicochemical property-based separation process. It is widely utilised in the area of mineral processing also known as ore dressing and mineral beneftciation for mineral concentration. In addition to the mining and metallurgical industries, flotation also finds appHcations in sewage treatment, water purification, bitumen recovery from tar sands, and coal desulfurization. Nearly one biUion tons of ore are treated by this process aimuaHy in the world. Phosphate rock, precious metals, lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and tin-containing ores as well as coal are treated routinely by this process some flotation plants treat 200,000 tons of ore per day (see Mineral recovery and processing). Various aspects of flotation theory and practice have been treated in books and reviews (1 9). 

The reactivity of fluorine compounds varies from extremely stable, eg, compounds such as sulfur hexafluoride [2551-62 ] nitrogen trifluoride [7783-54-2] and the perfluorocarbons (see Fluorine compounds, organic) to extremely reactive, eg, the halogen fluorides. Another unique property of nonionic metal fluorides is great volatiUty. Volatile compounds such as tungsten hexafluoride [7783-82-6] molybdenum hexafluoride [7783-77-9] ... 

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. 

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). 

Carbon content is usually about 0.15% but may be higher in bolting steels and hot-work die steels. Molybdenum content is usually between 0.5 and 1.5% it increases creep—mpture strength and prevents temper embrittlement at the higher chromium contents. In the modified steels, siUcon is added to improve oxidation resistance, titanium and vanadium to stabilize the carbides to higher temperatures, and nickel to reduce notch sensitivity. Most of the chromium—molybdenum steels are used in the aimealed or in the normalized and tempered condition some of the modified grades have better properties in the quench and tempered condition. 

In addition to oxidation itself, gas diffusion into the base metal can be more damaging than the actual loss of metal from the surface. Thus the loss in mechanical properties owing to diffusion of oxygen into niobium makes it more difficult to protect niobium against oxidation damage than molybdenum, even though molybdenum has less resistance to normal oxidation effects than niobium. 

Physical Properties. Molybdenum has many unique properties, leading to its importance as a refractory metal (see Refractories). Molybdenum, atomic no. 42, is in Group 6 (VIB) of the Periodic Table between chromium and tungsten vertically and niobium and technetium horizontally. It has a silvery gray appearance. The most stable valence states are +6, +4, and 0 lower, less stable valence states are +5, +3, and +2. 

Chemical Properties. Molybdenum has good resistance to chemical attack by mineral acids, provided that oxidizing agents ate not present. The metal also offers excellent resistance to attack by several liquid metals. The approximate temperature limits for molybdenum to be considered for long-time service while in contact with various metals in the hquid state ate as follows ... 

The same properties that make molybdenum metal effective in high temperature furnace appHcations make it useful as support wires for tungsten filaments in incandescent light bulbs and as targets in x-ray tubes. 

Additions of selected alloying elements raise the recrystaUization temperature, extending to higher temperature regimes the tensile properties of the cold-worked molybdenum metal. The simultaneous additions of 0.5% titanium and 0.1% zirconium produce the TZM aUoy, which has a corresponding... 

Tungsten has Htde effect on recrystallization temperature or the high temperature properties of molybdenum. However, the Mo—30% W alloy is recognized as a standard commercial alloy for stirrers, pipes, and other equipment that is required to be in contact with molten zinc during processing of the metal and in galvanizing and die casting operations. 

Molybdenum, an unusually versatile alloying element, imparts numerous beneficial properties to irons and steels and to some alloy systems based on cobalt, nickel, or titanium. Comprehensive summaries of uses through 1948 (24) and 1980 (25) are available. 

PMo220 4q, is analytically usehil, being formed in the molybdenum test for phosphate ion. Poly- and heteropolymolybdate ions are used in the precipitation of dyes. The protonated forms of the ions are strongly acidic and many poly- and heteropolymolybdate compounds have catalytic activity that is attributable to their acid—base or redox properties. 

More recendy, molecular molybdenum-sulfur complexes and clusters have been used as soluble precursors for M0S2 in the formulation of lubricating oils for a variety of appHcations (70). Presumably, the oil-soluble molybdenum—sulfur-containing precursors decompose under shear, pressure, or temperature stress at the wear surface to give beneficial coatings. In several cases it has been shown that the soluble precursors are trifunctional in that they not only display antifriction properties, but have antiwear and antioxidant characteristics as weU. In most cases, the ligands for the Mo are of the 1,1-dithiolate type, including dithiocarbamates, dithiophosphates, and xanthates (55,71). 

Advanced Structural and Heating Materials. Molybdenum siHcide [12136-78-6] and composites of MoSi2 and siHcon carbide, SiC, have properties that allow use as high temperature stmctural materials that are stable in oxidizing environments (see Composite materials Metal-matrix composites). Molybdenum disiHcide also finds use in resistance heating elements (87,88). 

T. J. Risdon, Properties of Molybdenum Disulfide, MoS (IMolybdenite) Bulletin C-5c, Climax Molybdenum Co., Ann Arbor, Mich., Aug. 1989. 

Another anomalous property of some nickel—iron aHoys, which are caHed constant-modulus aHoys, is a positive thermoelastic coefficient which occurs in aHoys having 27—43 wt % nickel. The elastic moduH in these aHoys increase with temperature. UsuaHy, and with additions of chromium, molybdenum, titanium, or aluminum, the constant-modulus aHoys are used in precision weighing machines, measuring devices, and osciHating mechanisms (see Weighing AND proportioning). 

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