Molybdenum (Mo)
"The High-Temp Hero, a hero who can withstand extreme temperatures and gives steel its heat-resistant strength."
A memorable persona to anchor Mo in your mind.
10.28
Grams per cm³
2622
Celsius (°C)
209
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Molybdenum is found in high-strength steel tools in a workshop.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1781
Discovered By
Carl Wilhelm Scheele
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from the Greek ''molybdos'' meaning lead."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
95.95 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
4639°C
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 4d55s1
1st Ionization Energy
7.092 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Molybdenum is a hard, silvery-white metal."
Did You Know?
It has one of the highest melting points of all pure elements, second only to tantalum and tungsten.
Its name comes from the Ancient Greek word 'molybdos', which means 'lead', because its ore was often mistaken for lead ore.
For a long time, the massive 14,000-pound ball in the iconic "Big Ben" clock in London was made from a molybdenum steel alloy.
Molybdenum is an essential trace nutrient required by almost all forms of life to process nitrogen.