Molybdenum

Molybdenum is a silver–white (in one piece) or grey (powder), stretchable and polishable heavy metal that is hard and brittle yet still easy to process. Molybdenum is among the high-melting-heavy metals, meaning it is characterised by, among other things, its high melting point, good thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion. In the past, molybdenum was often mistaken for lead. Molybdenum is processed to form semi-finished products such as rods, wires, sheets and tubes, which are used in the lamp industry, in glass manufacturing, as components for jet engines, rockets and in high temperature nuclear reactors. Steel alloyed with Molybdenum becomes significantly harder, more robust and more resistant to corrosion with the additions of just small amounts of molybdenum.