Among all iron oxides, hematite (α-Fe2O3), goethite (α-FeOOH), and ferrihydrite (FeOOH⋅nH2O) are the most common mineral species. While immobilization of Mo6+ by surface adsorption on ferric oxides has been studied extensively, the mechanisms of incorporation in their structure have been researched little. The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between Mo content and its structural incorporation in hematite, goethite, and six-line ferrihydrite by a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), and inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Synthesized in the presence of Mo, the hematite, goethite, and six-line ferrihydrite phases incorporated up to 8.52, 0.03, and 17.49 wt. % Mo, respectively. For hematite and goethite, pXRD analyses did not indicate the presence of separate Mo phases. Refined unit-cell parameters correlated with increasing Mo concentration in hematite and goethite. The unit-cell parameters indicated an increase in structural disorder within both phases and, therefore, supported the structural incorporation of Mo in hematite and goethite. Analysis of pXRD measurements of Mo-bearing six-line ferrihydrites revealed small amounts of coprecipitated akaganéite. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements at the Mo L3-edge indicated a strong distortion of the MoO6 octahedra in all three phases. Fitting of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra of the Mo K-edge supported the presence of such distorted octahedra in a coordination environment similar to the Fe position in the investigated specimen. Incorporation of Mo6+ at the Fe3+-position for both hematite and goethite resulted in the formation of one Fe vacancy in close proximity to the newly incorporated Mo6+ and, therefore, charge balance within the hematite and goethite structures.

Nickolayite, FeMoP, is a new terrestrial phosphide structurally related to allabogdanite (high-pressure modification of (Fe,Ni)2P), and the meteoritic phosphides florenskyite, FeTiP and andreyivanovite, FeCrP. From the point of view of chemical composition, nickolayite is an Fe-analogue of monipite, MoNiP. The mineral was discovered in the Daba-Siwaqa complex, Central Jordan, a part of the pyrometamorphic Hatrurim Formation (the Mottled Zone), whose outcrops encompass a 150 × 200 km area around the Dead Sea in the Middle East. Nickolayite appears as an accessory phase in the fused clinopyroxene–plagioclase rocks texturally resembling gabbro–dolerite. The irregularly shaped grains of the mineral, up to 80 μm in size are associated with baryte, tridymite, chromite, hematite, pyrrhotite, fluorapatite, titanite and powellite. Macroscopically, nickolayite grains possess light-grey to greyish-white colour and metallic lustre. The mineral is ductile. The mean VHN hardness (50 g load) is 538 kg mm–2. The calculated density based on the empirical formula and the unit-cell parameters is 7.819 g cm–1. In reflected light, nickolayite has a white colour, with no bireflectance or pleochroism. The COM approved reflectance values [Rmax/Rmin (%), λ(nm)] are: 48.5/46.5 (470), 50.5/48.5 (546), 51.8/49.9 (589) and 53.9/52.0 (650). The chemical composition of the holotype crystal is (electron microprobe, average of 4 analyses, wt.%): Fe 32.21, Mo 47.06, Ni 3.69, Co 0.13, P 17.45, total 100.54, that corresponds to the empirical formula Fe1.00(Mo0.87Ni0.11Fe0.02)Σ1.00P1.00 and an ideal formula of FeMoP. Nickolayite is orthorhombic, space group Pnma, unit-cell parameters of holotype material are: a = 5.9519(5), b = 3.7070(3), c = 6.8465(6) Å, V = 151.06(2) Å3 and Z = 4. The crystal structure of holotype material was solved and refined to R1 = 0.0174 based on 251 unique observed reflections. The origin of the mineral is probably connected to the processes of co-reduction of molybdenum- and phosphorus-bearing minerals during high-temperature pyrometamorphic processes.

Inorganic gunshot residue (GSR) analysis is carried out by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) in many forensic laboratories. Characteristic GSR often consists of lead–barium–antimony, commonly associated with sulfur. The strength of forensic GSR evidence increases when unusual elements are found in residues collected both from the suspect and from the discharged firearm. The presence of molybdenum in GSR, due to the use of MoS2 lubricants in firearms, is experimentally demonstrated here for the first time. The most intense molybdenum X-ray emissions are MoL peaks at 2.3 keV which overlap with PbM and SK families due to the poor resolution of EDS detectors. When Pb, S, and Mo are allegedly present in the same particle, the reliability of automatic EDS routines is at risk. Missing identifications or false detections and exclusions may then occur. Molybdenum should be considered as detected only if MoK emissions meet the peak-to-background ratio minimum requirements. A strategy to spot Mo-containing residues is described, based on the automated search of MoS2, using a new “Sulfur only” class added to the classification scheme, followed by careful manual review of all GSR particles at an acceleration voltage of 30 kV. Our proposal improves commonly adopted forensic procedures currently followed in casework.

TiAl alloys are potential structural high-temperature structural materials at a service temperature of ~900 °C, while poor ductility at room temperature and high creep rate at the elevated temperature limits the applications. To improve the room-temperature and high-temperature mechanical properties of Ti–44Al–5Nb–3Cr–1.5Zr, Mo and B were introduced into this system and Ti–44Al–5Nb–3Cr–1.5Zr–xMo–yB alloys were proposed. And then, we, respectively, studied the microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti–44Al–5Nb–3Cr–1.5Zr–xMo–0B and Ti–44Al–5Nb–3Cr–1.5Zr–1Mo–yB to elucidate the role for the addition of Mo and B. It is found that Mo can increase the fraction of B2 phase in the alloys and the microstructures of the alloys are greatly refined by the addition of B. The compression test results indicate that Mo has a positive influence on the high-temperature compressive properties of TiAl-based alloys, whereas B addition can improve their room-temperature compressive properties of Ti–44Al–5Nb–3Cr–1.5Zr–1Mo–yB alloys; the morphology of borides in each sample should be the structural origin for these phenomena.

Three new valleriite-group minerals, ekplexite (Nb,Mo)S2·(Mg1−xAlx)(OH)2+x, kaskasite (Mo,Nb)S2·(Mg1−xAlx)(OH)2+x and manganokaskasite (Mo,Nb)S2·(Mn1−xAlx)(OH)2+x are found at Mt Kaskasnyunchorr, Khibiny alkaline complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia. They occur in fenite consisting of orthoclase−anorthoclase and nepheline with fluorophlogopite, corundum, pyrrhotite, pyrite, rutile, monazite-(Ce), graphite, edgarite, molybdenite, tungstenite, alabandite, etc. Ekplexite forms lenticular nests up to 0.2 mm × 1 mm × 1 mm consisting of near-parallel, radiating or chaotic aggregates of flakes. Kaskasite and manganokaskasite mainly occur as flakes and their near-parallel ‘stacks’ (kaskasite: up to 0.03 mm × 1 mm × 1.5 mm; manganokaskasite: up to 0.02 mm × 0.5 mm × 1 mm) epitaxially overgrow Ti-bearing pyrrhotite partially replaced by Ti-bearing pyrite. All three new minerals are opaque, ironblack, with metallic lustre. Cleavage is {001} perfect and mica-like. Flakes are very soft, flexible and inelastic. Mohs hardness is ∼1. D(calc.) = 3.63 (ekplexite), 3.83 (kaskasite) and 4.09 (manganokaskasite) g cm−3. In reflected light all these minerals are grey, without internal reflections. Anisotropism and bireflectance are very strong and pleochroism is strong. The presence of OH groups and an absence of H2O molecules are confirmed by the Raman spectroscopy data. Chemical data (wt.%, electron probe) for ekplexite, kaskasite and manganokaskasite, respectively, are: Mg 6.25, 5.94, 0.06; Al 4.31, 3.67, 3.00; Ca 0.00, 0.04, 0.00; V 0.86, 0.16, 0.15; Mn 0.00, 0.23, 11.44; Fe 0.44, 1.44, 2.06; Nb 18.17, 13.39, 14.15; Mo 15.89, 23.18, 20.08; W 8.13, 7.59, 9.12; S 27.68, 27.09, 24.84; O 16.33, 15.66, 13.36; H (calc.) 1.03, 0.99, 0.89; total 99.09, 99.08, 99.15. The empirical formulae calculated on the basis of 2 S a.p.f.u. are: ekplexite: (Nb0.45Mo0.38W0.10V0.04)S0.97S2· (Mg0.60Al0.37Fe0.02)S0.99(OH)2.36; kaskasite: (Mo0.57Nb0.34W0.10V0.01)S1.02S2· (Mg0.58Al0.32Fe0.06Mn0.01)S0.97(OH)2.32; manganokaskasite: (Mo0.54Nb0.39W0.13V0.01)S1.07S2· (Mn0.54Al0.29Fe0.10Mg0.01)S0.94(OH)2.28. All three minerals are trigonal, space groups Pm1, P3m1 or P321, one-layer polytypes (Z = 1). Their structures are non-commensurate and consist of the MeS2-type (Me = Nb, Mo, W) sulfide modules and the brucite-type hydroxide modules. Parameters of the sulfide (main) sub-lattices (a, c in Å, V in Å3) are: 3.262(2), 11.44(2), 105.4(4) (ekplexite); 3.220(2), 11.47(2), 102.8(4) (kaskasite); 3.243(3), 11.61(1), 105.8(3) (manganokaskasite). Parameters of the hydroxide sub-lattices (a, c in Å, V in Å3) are: 3.066(2), 11.52(2), 93.8(4) (ekplexite); 3.073(2), 11.50(2), 94.0(4) (kaskasite); 3.118(3), 11.62(1), 97.9(2) (manganokaskasite). Ekplexite was named from the Greek word έκπληξη meaning surprise, for its exotic combination of major chemical constituents, kaskasite after the discovery locality and manganokaskasite as a Mn analogue of kaskasite.

Mirror like Molybdenum thin films on SS substrate in vacuum (10−3 Pa) and in Helium environment has been achieved by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) Technique. The PLD thin films of Molybdenum have been characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The specular reflectivity was recorded with Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectrometer and UV-Visible spectrometer. The optical quality of the thin films was tested via interferometric technique. At the optimum deposition parameters, the crystal orientation was in Mo(110) phase. The FIR-UV-Visible reflectivity of the mirror was found to be closed to that of the polished bulk Molybdenum and Stainless Substrate (SS) substrate.

The rumen is the site of significant interactions between Cu, S and Mo. It also shows reactions between Cu, S and Fe. The interaction between Mo and S results in the formation of thiomolybdates, which in the absence of adequate quantities of rumen Cu are absorbed into the animal and bind to Cu in biological compounds. This is the cause of thiomolybdate toxicity, often misleadingly called Cu deficiency. The effects of thiomolybdates being absorbed into the animal are considered, especially how thiomolybdates bind to Cu-containing compounds such as enzymes, decreasing their activity without removing the active Cu component. The sources of Cu, Mo, Fe and S are examined, including the impacts of water and soil on the animal's intake. Within the present review we have been able to provide evidence that: all classes of thiomolybdates are formed in the rumen; in the absence of available Cu all thiomolybdates can be absorbed into the animal rapidly though the rumen wall or via the small intestine; thiomolybdates bind to Cu in biological compounds and are able to cause problems; effects of thiomolybdate are reversible in vivo and in vitro on cessation of thiomolybdate challenge; the tetra-thiomolybdate form is the most potent Cu binder with decreased potency with decreasing S in the compound. Fe will exacerbate a thiomolybdate problem but will not directly cause it.

A 6-month experiment with nine dietary treatments was conducted to determine amounts of S plus Mo supplements required to maintain normal hepatic concentrations of Cu and Mo and to prevent chronic Cu toxicity in lambs fed palm kernel cake (PKC) diets. All diets consisted of PKC supplemented with minerals and vitamins, and with appropriate amounts per kg DM of S (level 0 or level 1 = 1 g) as sodium sulfate and/or Mo (level 0; level 1 = 4 mg; level 2 = 8 mg; level 3 = 16 mg; level 4 = 32 mg) as ammonium molybdate to form treatments S0Mo1, S0Mo2, S0Mo3, S0Mo4, S1Mo0, S1Mo1, S1Mo2, S1Mo3 and S1Mo4.There was no effect (P>0·05) of dietary treatments on the growth performance of the lambs. The dietary supplement of 1 g S plus 8 mg Mo per kg dietary DM (treatment S1Mo2) prevented accumulation of Cu in the liver without elevation of the concentration of Mo (P>0·05). The treatments S0Mo1, S0Mo2 and S0Mo3 increased (P < 0·05) hepatic Cu concentrations from 376 μg/g DM to between 1090 and 1294 μg/g DM. Also, the treatments S1Mo3 and S1Mo4 resulted in higher (P < 0·05) hepatic Mo concentrations compared with the treatment S1Mo0. It was concluded that the dietary supplement of 1 g S plus 8 mg Mo/kg PKC DM added to the PKC used is sufficient to maintain normal hepatic concentrations of Cu and Mo and to prevent chronic Cu toxicity in sheep fed diets containing any amount of PKC.

The use of stainless steels as concrete reinforcement is becoming increasingly popular incoastal and marine constructions in order to prevent corrosion induced by chloride ionspenetrating into the concrete. In these highly aggressive situations, the lean duplexstainless steels have been extensively employed due to their high mechanical and corrosionresistances. However, the influence of Mo addition on pitting corrosion resistance ofthese steels is not clearly understood in alkaline chloride conditions even if thiselement is widely associated to an increasing corrosion resistance in acidic and neutralenvironments. Therefore, understanding Mo mechanism on corrosion resistance in alkalinemedia is hence of major importance to the setting of optimized alloy composition. Thepresent work aims to study the effect of Mo addition on pitting corrosion properties oflean duplex stainless steels in alkaline environments (concrete). The results arediscussed with respect to the influence of Mo addition on pitting potential for twoindustrial duplex alloys (1.4362 and 1.4462) in several aggressive media mainly insynthetic, chlorinated and carbonated solution simulating concrete pore environments (pH10solution with carbonates and chlorides ions). In order to establish the real role of Moaddition on lean duplex corrosion and passivation properties, the corrosion behaviors oftwo specific laboratory lean duplex alloys, which the only difference between then is theamount of Mo (0 and 3% wt. Mo), are also studied. Furthermore, scanning electronicmicroscopy (SEM) was used to verify which phase of duplex microstructure (ferritic oraustenitic) is mostly susceptible to the pit nucleation in these corrosion conditions asthe role of Mo is probably different to each simple phase.

Wheat which was grown in acid-washed sand and irrigated with a molybdenum-free nutrient solution was treated with various concentrations of molybdenum (Mo) as a foliar spray at the flag leaf stage. At maturity, dormancy levels and abscisic acid (ABA) content of the seed were determined. Seed dormancy and ABA content increased with increasing rates of Mo application. In a field experiment, wheat (cv. SST 66) was treated with 100 ppm Mo by foliar application at the flag leaf stage. Embryos were tested for sensitivity to exogenously applied ABA. Embryos from Mo-treated plants showed enhanced sensitivity to ABA-induced inhibition of germination. The Mo application also resulted in significantly higher levels of endogenous ABA and Mo in the seeds. It is postulated that Mo deficiency leads to a lack of dormancy in wheat via reduced synthesis of ABA.

Defining optimal dietary intakes of Cu and Zn throughout the life cycle continues to present a considerable challenge for nutrition scientists. Although the daily intake of these micronutrients is below that currently recommended for many groups, traditional biochemical indicators of nutritional status for these trace metals largely remain within the normal range. Thus, it is unclear whether the recommended daily intakes may be unnecessarily high, or if the commonly-used markers simply lack the necessary sensitivity and specificity that are required for accurately assessing Cu and Zn status. The increasing number of reports that daily supplements with these trace metals enhance the activities of selective metalloenzymes and specific cellular and organ processes further points out the need to differentiate between meeting the requirement and providing optimal nutriture. Results from recent studies suggesting that alternative molecular and functional markers possess sufficient sensitivity to better assess Cu and Zn status are discussed. Likewise, recent studies evaluating the impact of very low and excessive levels of dietary Mn and Mo on selective biochemical and metabolic indicators are reviewed.

Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) was purified from goats' milk. The u.v.–visible absorption spectrum was essentially identical to those of the corresponding bovine and human milk enzymes and showed an A280/A450 ratio of 5·20±0·12, indicating a high degree of purity. Like bovine and human milk XORs, enzyme purified from goats' milk showed a single band on SDS-PAGE corresponding to a subunit with approximate Mr 150000. On Western blotting, mouse monoclonal anti-human XOR antibody cross-reacted with purified caprine and bovine XORs. The specific xanthine oxidase activity of goats' milk XOR, however, was very much lower than that of bovine XOR, although NADH oxidase activities of XOR from the two sources were similar. In these respects, the caprine milk XOR mirrors the human milk enzyme, in which case the kinetic effects have previously been attributed to relatively low molybdenum content. The molybdenum content of goats' milk XOR also was shown to be relatively low, with 0·09 atoms Mo per subunit, compared with 0·55 atoms Mo per subunit for the bovine enzyme. A parallel purification of human milk XOR showed 0·03 atoms Mo per subunit. The possible physiological significance of the low molybdenum content of the caprine milk enzyme and of its correspondingly low enzymic activity is discussed.

Molybdenum is an essential cofactor in many enzymes, but must first be complexed by molybdopterin, whose synthesis requires four enzymatic activities. The first two enzymes of this pathway are encoded by the MOCS1 locus in humans. We describe here a remarkably well-conserved novel mRNA splicing phenomenon that produces both an apparently bicistronic MOCS1AM-OCS1B transcript, as well as a distinct class of monocistronic transcript. The latter are created by a variety of splicing mechanisms (alternative splice donors, alternative splice acceptors, and exon-skipping) to bypass the normal termination nonsense codon of MOCS1A resulting in fusion of the MOCS1A and MOCS1B open reading frames. Therefore, these “no-nonsense” transcripts encode a single bifunctional protein embodying both MOCS1A and MOCS1B activities. This coexpression profile was observed in vertebrates (human, mouse, cow, rabbit, opossum, and chicken) and invertebrates (fruit fly and nematode) spanning at least 700 million years of evolution. Our phylogenetic data also provide evidence that the bicistronic form of MOCS1 mRNA is likely to only produce MOCS1A protein and, combined with Northern analyses, suggests that MOCS1B is translated only as a fusion with MOCS1A. Taken together, the data presented here demonstrate a very highly conserved and physiologically relevant dynamic splicing scheme that profoundly influences the protein-coding potential of the MOCS1 locus.

Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) is the treatment of choice for chronic Cu poisoning in sheep and is recommended in Wilson's disease. However, the long-term effects have not been fully evaluated and some evidence questions the long-term safety of the drug. The aim of the present study was to investigate the systemic distribution and retention of Cu and Mo in TTM-treated sheep of different breeds and Cu status. Low-Cu Cambridge sheep were divided into a TTM trial group (3·4 mg/kg, subcutaneously, on three alternate days per month, for 5 months) and a control group, and were killed at the end of the course or 7 months later. High-Cu sheep consisting of a Cu-supplemented (150 mg/kg) Cambridge group and a North Ronaldsay group were administered TTM as before and compared with untreated controls. Brain, liver, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle, pituitary, adrenals, testes and ovaries were retained for metal analysis. Mo accumulated in all organs including brain and pituitary (P < 0·02) in all TTM trial groups and was retained after cessation of treatment, except in liver, kidney and skeletal muscle. Cu was increased (P < 0·02) and retained in the cerebellum and medulla oblongata in the TTM-treated high-Cu Cambridge groups. Brain Cu v. Mo concentrations showed a strongly positive correlation (r 0·7) in the high-Cu Ronaldsay group 7 months after TTM treatment. It is concluded that TTM is not all excreted but (Mo) is widely distributed and retained in many organs including brain and pituitary. In addition TTM may redistribute some displaced excess liver Cu (Cu-TTM) to the brain. The consequences of these disturbances await clarification.

Intrinsic stresses as a function of σ, the 1/e penetration depth were measured for a smooth, 1μm thick, fine grained, cylindrical post magnetron sputtered molybdenum film deposited on a vycor glass substrate in the dynamic deposition mode. Using grazing incidence diffraction and the Mo (321) reflection, lattice spacing profiles were determined for τ values from 200-4400 Å. The in-plane intrinsic stresses parallel and perpendicular to the post axis were determined employing the ϕ-integral method and assuming elastic isotropy. The results were related to the surface structure and composition profiles via atomic force microscopy (AFM) and auger electron spectroscopy (AES) respectively.