Molybdenum is a metal. Like many other metals, it is mined as an ore and extracted for use in its pure elemental form. It has an exceptionally high melting point and is most commonly used to make alloys.
In various steel alloys, for example, molybdenum increases strength, electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance. Molybdenum steel alloys are commonly used in the manufacture of electrodes, engine, aircraft and rocket parts, and in nuclear reactors.
In nature, molybdenum is also an essential trace mineral in plants and animals. It is found in many enzymes that play important roles in many aspects of a healthy metabolism, especially anything that requires breaking down proteins.
Despite its popularity as an ingredient in alloys, molybdenum is far more commonly used in industry in the form of one of its many derivative compounds. And this is where Norkem has a hand to play in global supply, including the recent addition of a new derivative to our stock list.
A significant use of molybdenum trioxide is as a reactant in the production of other molybdenum derivatives, for example Ammonium Heptamolybdate and Dimolybdate, and also Sodium Molybdate. Molybdates are salts with a range of interesting properties that make them highly useful across a range of chemical and industrial processes.
Ammonium molybdate, for example, is used as a reagent in analytical chemistry to detect the presence of phosphorous in substances, as well as being another molybdenum derivative widely used as a catalyst in the petrochemical industry. Its long list of other uses include being an ingredient in agricultural fertilisers, pigments, ceramics and paints. It also plays a role in photography development and is added to fabrics as a fire retardant.
Similarly, the highly soluble sodium molybdate is a common agricultural fertiliser. Although molybdate salts are toxic to animals and people so cannot be added to food stuffs directly, their take up by plants bolsters traces of molybdenum in the food chain
Elsewhere, sodium molybdate is also commonly used across manufacturing, printing and metallurgy. Like ammonium molybdate and molybdenum trioxide, it is an ingredient in pigments, particularly in printing inks and toners. In metalwork, it is used as a finishing agent, for example for adding anti-corrosive coatings or brightening zinc plating.
Norkem offers molybdenum trioxide, ammonium molybdate and sodium molybdate for global distribution. We can supply in a variety of packaging ranging from 25kg up to one metric tonne. Please get in touch to enquire about custom packaging.