Molybdenum (CHEM002917)

IdentificationTaxonomyBiological PropertiesPhysical PropertiesToxicity ProfileSpectraConcentrationsLinksReferencesTargets (1)XML
Record Information
Version1.0
Creation Date2014-08-29 04:47:13 UTC
Update Date2026-05-14 19:07:17 UTC
Accession NumberCHEM002917
Identification
Common NameMolybdenum
ClassSmall Molecule
DescriptionMolybdenum is a transition metal with the atomic symbol Mo, atomic number 42, and atomic weight 95.94. The pure metal is silvery white in color, fairly soft, and has one of the highest melting points of all pure elements. Physiologically, it exists as an ion in the body. It is an essential trace element, being a component of the enzymes xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and nitrate reductase. There is a trace requirement for molybdenum in plants, and soils can be barren due to molybdenum deficiencies. Plants and animals generally have molybdenum present in amounts of a few parts per million. In animals molybdenum is a cofactor of the enzyme xanthine oxidase which is involved in the pathways of purine degradation and formation of uric acid. In some animals, adding a small amount of dietary molybdenum enhances growth. Francis Crick suggested that since molybdenum is an essential trace element that plays an important role in many enzymatic reactions, despite being less abundant than the more common elements, such as chromium and nickel, that perhaps this fact is indicative of Panspermia. Crick theorized that if it could be shown that the elements represented in terrestrial living organisms correlate closely with those that are abundant in some class of star - molybdenum stars, for example, that this would provide evidence of such Directed Panspermia. In small quantities, molybdenum is effective at hardening steel. Molybdenum is important in plant nutrition, and is found in certain enzymes, including xanthine oxidase. Molybdenum is used to this day in high-strength alloys and in high-temperature steels. Special molybdenum-containing alloys, such as the Hastelloys, are notably heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant. Molybdenum is used in oil pipelines, aircraft and missile parts, and in filaments. Molybdenum finds use as a catalyst in the petroleum industry, especially in catalysts for removing organic sulfurs from petroleum products. It is used to form the anode in some x-ray tubes, particularly in mammography applications. And is found in some electronic applications as the conductive metal layers in thin-film transistors (TFTs). Molybdenum disulfide is a good lubricant, especially at high temperatures. And Mo-99 is used in the nuclear isotope industry. Molybdenum pigments range from red-yellow to a bright red orange and are used in paints, inks, plastics, and rubber compounds.
Contaminant Sources
  • FooDB Chemicals
  • HMDB Contaminants - Urine
  • HPV EPA Chemicals
  • OECD HPV Chemicals
  • T3DB toxins
Contaminant Type
  • Food Toxin
  • Household Toxin
  • Industrial/Workplace Toxin
  • Inorganic Compound
  • Metabolite
  • Metal
  • Natural Compound
Chemical Structure
Thumb
MOLSDFPDBSMILESInChI
Synonyms
ValueSource
MoHMDB
MolybdaenHMDB
MolybdeneHMDB
Molybdenum atomHMDB
Molybdenum elementalHMDB
Molybdenum insoluble compoundsHMDB
Molybdenum metallicHMDB
Chemical FormulaMo
Average Molecular Mass95.940 g/mol
Monoisotopic Mass97.905 g/mol
CAS Registry Number7439-98-7
IUPAC Namemolybdenum
Traditional Namemolybdenum(2+) ion
SMILES[Mo++]
InChI IdentifierInChI=1S/Mo/q+2
InChI KeyMMVYPOCJESWGTC-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Chemical Taxonomy
Description belongs to the class of inorganic compounds known as homogeneous transition metal compounds. These are inorganic compounds containing only metal atoms,with the largest atom being a transition metal atom.
KingdomInorganic compounds
Super ClassHomogeneous metal compounds
ClassHomogeneous transition metal compounds
Sub ClassNot Available
Direct ParentHomogeneous transition metal compounds
Alternative ParentsNot Available
Substituents
  • Homogeneous transition metal
Molecular FrameworkNot Available
External Descriptors
Biological Properties
StatusDetected and Not Quantified
OriginExogenous
Cellular Locations
  • Cytoplasm
  • Extracellular
Biofluid LocationsNot Available
Tissue Locations
  • Brain
PathwaysNot Available
ApplicationsNot Available
Biological Roles
Chemical RolesNot Available
Physical Properties
StateSolid
AppearanceWhite powder.
Experimental Properties
PropertyValue
Melting Point2622°C
Boiling PointNot Available
SolubilityNot Available
Predicted Properties
PropertyValueSource
logP0ChemAxon
Physiological Charge2ChemAxon
Hydrogen Acceptor Count0ChemAxon
Hydrogen Donor Count0ChemAxon
Polar Surface Area0 ŲChemAxon
Rotatable Bond Count0ChemAxon
Refractivity0 m³·mol⁻¹ChemAxon
Polarizability1.78 ųChemAxon
Number of Rings0ChemAxon
Bioavailability1ChemAxon
Rule of FiveYesChemAxon
Ghose FilterNoChemAxon
Veber's RuleYesChemAxon
MDDR-like RuleNoChemAxon
Spectra
Spectra
Spectrum TypeDescriptionSplash KeyView
Predicted LC-MS/MSPredicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 10V, Positivesplash10-0002-9000000000-b89a284902f26c13cae1Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MSPredicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 20V, Positivesplash10-0002-9000000000-b89a284902f26c13cae1Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MSPredicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 40V, Positivesplash10-0002-9000000000-b89a284902f26c13cae1Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MSPredicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 10V, Negativesplash10-0002-9000000000-d12f288be7c114068ddfSpectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MSPredicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 20V, Negativesplash10-0002-9000000000-d12f288be7c114068ddfSpectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MSPredicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 40V, Negativesplash10-0002-9000000000-d12f288be7c114068ddfSpectrum
Toxicity Profile
Route of ExposureIngestion; inhalation
Mechanism of ToxicityHigh levels of molybdenum can interfere with the body's uptake of copper, producing copper deficiency. Molybdenum prevents plasma proteins from binding to copper, and it also increases the amount of copper that is excreted in urine. Molybdenum dusts and fumes, which can be generated by mining or metalworking, can be toxic, especially if ingested (including dust trapped in the sinuses and later swallowed). (Wikipedia)
MetabolismNot Available
Toxicity ValuesNot Available
Lethal DoseNot Available
Carcinogenicity (IARC Classification)No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Uses/SourcesMolybdenum is important in plant nutrition, and is found in certain enzymes, including xanthine oxidase. Molybdenum is used to this day in high-strength alloys and in high-temperature steels. Molybdenum is used in oil pipelines, aircraft and missile parts, and in filaments. It is used to form the anode in some x-ray tubes, particularly in mammography applications. And is found in some electronic applications as the conductive metal layers in thin-film transistors (TFTs). And Mo-99 is used in the nuclear isotope industry. Molybdenum pigments range from red-yellow to a bright red orange and are used in paints, inks, plastics, and rubber compounds.
Minimum Risk LevelNot Available
Health EffectsNot Available
SymptomsNot Available
TreatmentNot Available
Concentrations
Not Available
DrugBank IDNot Available
HMDB IDHMDB0001302
FooDB IDFDB003653
Phenol Explorer IDNot Available
KNApSAcK IDNot Available
BiGG IDNot Available
BioCyc IDNot Available
METLIN IDNot Available
PDB IDNot Available
Wikipedia LinkMolybdenum
Chemspider ID161267
ChEBI ID28685
PubChem Compound ID185498
Kegg Compound IDC00150
YMDB IDNot Available
ECMDB IDECMDB21390
References
Synthesis ReferenceNot Available
MSDSLink
General References
1. Lopez-Garcia I, Vinas P, Romero-Romero R, Hernandez-Cordoba M: Liquid chromatography-electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the separation and preconcentration of molybdenum in milk and infant formulas. Anal Chim Acta. 2007 Aug 6;597(2):187-94. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2007.07.003. Epub 2007 Jul 5.
2. Semaghiul Birghila, Simona Dobrinas, Gabriela Stanciu and Alina Soceanu. Determination of major and minor elements in milk through ICP-AES. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal. November/December 2008, Vol.7, No.6, 805-808
3. A. Foroutan et al. The Chemical Composition of Commercial Cow's Milk (in preparation)
4. Patricia Cava-Montesinos, M. Luisa Cervera Agustín Pastor Miguel de la Guardia. 2005. Room temperature acid sonication ICP-MS multielemental analysis of milk.Analytica Chimica Acta Volume 531, Issue 1, Pages 111-123
5. Z. Dobrzański, R. Kołacz, H. Górecka, K. Chojnacka, A. Bartkowiak. 2005. The Content of Microelements and Trace Elements in Raw Milk from Cows in the Silesian Region. Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 14(5):685–689
6. Mendel RR, Bittner F: Cell biology of molybdenum. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2006 Jul;1763(7):621-35. Epub 2006 May 12.
7. Mendel RR: Molybdenum: biological activity and metabolism. Dalton Trans. 2005 Nov 7;(21):3404-9. Epub 2005 Sep 26.
8. Goldhaber SB: Trace element risk assessment: essentiality vs. toxicity. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2003 Oct;38(2):232-42.
9. Nakagawa N: [Studies on changes in trace elements of the brain related to aging]. Hokkaido Igaku Zasshi. 1998 Mar;73(2):181-99.
10. Vyskocil A, Viau C: Assessment of molybdenum toxicity in humans. J Appl Toxicol. 1999 May-Jun;19(3):185-92.
11. Barceloux DG: Molybdenum. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1999;37(2):231-7.
12. Failla ML: Considerations for determining 'optimal nutrition' for copper, zinc, manganese and molybdenum. Proc Nutr Soc. 1999 May;58(2):497-505.
13. Reiss J: Genetics of molybdenum cofactor deficiency. Hum Genet. 2000 Feb;106(2):157-63.
14. Williams RJ, Frausto da Silva JJ: The involvement of molybdenum in life. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002 Mar 29;292(2):293-9.
15. Hille R: Molybdenum and tungsten in biology. Trends Biochem Sci. 2002 Jul;27(7):360-7.
16. Johnson JL: Prenatal diagnosis of molybdenum cofactor deficiency and isolated sulfite oxidase deficiency. Prenat Diagn. 2003 Jan;23(1):6-8.
17. Reiss J, Johnson JL: Mutations in the molybdenum cofactor biosynthetic genes MOCS1, MOCS2, and GEPH. Hum Mutat. 2003 Jun;21(6):569-76.
18. Hille R: Molybdenum-containing hydroxylases. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2005 Jan 1;433(1):107-16.
19. Schwarz G: Molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis and deficiency. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2005 Dec;62(23):2792-810.
20. Kitamura S, Sugihara K, Ohta S: Drug-metabolizing ability of molybdenum hydroxylases. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2006 Apr;21(2):83-98.
21. Enemark JH, Astashkin AV, Raitsimring AM: Investigation of the coordination structures of the molybdenum(v) sites of sulfite oxidizing enzymes by pulsed EPR spectroscopy. Dalton Trans. 2006 Aug 7;(29):3501-14. Epub 2006 Jun 22.
22. Schmidt M, Weber H, Schon R: Cobalt chromium molybdenum metal combination for modular hip prostheses. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1996 Aug;(329 Suppl):S35-47.
23. Kisker C, Schindelin H, Rees DC: Molybdenum-cofactor-containing enzymes: structure and mechanism. Annu Rev Biochem. 1997;66:233-67.
24. Kisker C, Schindelin H, Baas D, Retey J, Meckenstock RU, Kroneck PM: A structural comparison of molybdenum cofactor-containing enzymes. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 1998 Dec;22(5):503-21.