Molybdenum Applications

70-80 % of molybdenum metal is used in steel as an alloying agent. The rest is used as pure metal, in non-ferrous and rare metals alloys as well as in chemical compounds.

Molybdenium is the most important construction material in producing electro-vacuum and light devices. Molybdenum is used in anodes, cathodes, grids, X-ray tubes, bulb filament holders etc. It is also used as a component of heat-resistant alloys (along with nickel, cobalt and chromium) in rocket, aircraft and nuclear (due to low neutron capturing section) engineering as well as in heaters. After mastering of methods of big-dimension production high-strength alloys are comprised of significant amount of molybdenum. Compounds are used as a lubricant and anti-corrosion agents forming strong films on metallic surfaces, and are highly resistant to both extreme temperatures and high pressure.

A few molybdenum compounds are used in the production of pigments and for producing a yellow colour in pottery glazes. Glass may be coloured yellow or red by the addition of molybdenum disulphide. The blue oxide, molybdenum blue or molybdenum indigo, is used as a dye in the textile industry, especially for silk; it is also useful as a pigment for indiarubber. Ammonium molybdate finds employment in the analytical estimation of phosphoric acid, while molybdic acid is an important reagent for certain classes of organic substances. Molybdenum compounds are used to a small extent in photography.