Molybdenum

Molybdenum is a chemical element; it has symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is derived from Ancient Greek '''', meaning lead, since its ores were sometimes confused with those of lead. Molybdenum minerals have been known throughout history, but the element was discovered (in the sense of differentiating it as a new entity from the mineral salts of other metals) in 1778 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. The metal was first isolated in 1781 by Peter Jacob Hjelm.

thumb|upright=1.25|Four steps of molybdenum cofactor (Moco) biosynthetic pathway occurring in bacteria and humans: (i) radical-mediated cyclization guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) to (8S)‑3,8‐cyclo‑7,8‑dihydroguanosine-5́‑triphosphate (3,8‑cH2GTP), (ii) formation of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate (cPMP) from the 3,8‑cH2GTP, (iii) conversion of cPMP into molybdopterin (MPT), (iv) insertion of molybdate into MPT to form Moco (human enzymes in parentheses). Molybdopterins are a class of cofactors found in most molybdenum-containing and all tungsten-containing enzymes. Synonyms for molybdopteri

Ferro molybdenum is an important iron-molybdenum metal alloy, with a molybdenum content of 60–75% It is the main source for molybdenum alloying of HSLA steel.