molybdenum

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A chemical element (symbol Mo) with an atomic number of 42: a silvery metal, not found as a free element, used in steel alloys.

   “The metals at preſent amount to 21 ; only 11 of which were known before the year 1730. Their names are gold, ſilver, platinum, mercury, copper, iron, tin, lead, zinc, antimony, biſmuth, arſenic, cobalt, nickel, manganeſe, tungſten, molybdenum, uranium, tellurium, titanium, chromum.”

   “Technical terms like ferrite, perlite, graphite, and hardenite were bandied to and fro, and when Paget glibly brought out such a rare exotic as ferro-molybdenum, Benson forgot that he was a master ship-builder, […]”

   “Extensive deposits of copper and molybdenum ore, situated some 200 miles northwest of Ulan Bator between the Selenga and Orkhon Rivers, will eventually be extracted by open‐pit methods and processed at the still unfinished town of Erdenet.”

   “At pH levels below 5, wheat yields may be low, molybdenum may become unavailable to plants, and other trace elements may be concentrated to toxic levels.”

2. (countable, uncountable)A single atom of this element.

   “a quadruple bond between molybdenums”

   “Thus in M₄O₁₁, for example, ¾ of the molybdenums are octahedrally connected and ¼ are tetrahedrally coordinated and, furthermore, the formula is compatible with the existence of one Mo(IV) for every three Mo(VI), so at first glance the compound might appear to be a class I mixed valence system.”