Chemistry Forum

I’ve been looking around online to get a solid answer but can’t find a safe easy to deal with (not necessarily simple) way of taking away oxide from MoO₃ and obtaining pure Mo. I’m starting with NaMoO₄, adding nitric acid to produce insoluble MoO₃, I would just do the aluminum chloride deposit trick with MoO₃ and hydrochloride, but it produces chlorine gas and water which hydrolyzes the MoCl back to oxide and hcl. Are there any salts who’s metal has a Pauling electronegativity above that of molybdenum, such as maybe lead chloride, that is known to produce MoCl. Or if there’s some other simpler way of separating the Mo from oxide, Thanks for reading

In my knowledge it can only obtained pure, if MoO₃ or MoO₂ is reduced with hydrogen at 1100°C.

Other possibilities is by Thermit reaction like iron does.
MoO₃ + 2 Al => Al₂O₃ + Mo