The following uses for molybdenum are gathered from a number of sources as well as from anecdotal comments. I would be delighted to receive corrections as well as additional referenced uses.
- valuable alloying agent (contributes to the hardenability and toughness of quenched and tempered steels). Almost all ultra-high strength steels contain molybdenum in amounts from 0.25 to 8%
- improves the strength of steel at high temperatures
- electrodes for electrically heated glass furnaces
- nuclear energy applications
- missile and aircraft parts
- valuable catalyst in petroleum refining
- filament material in electrical applications
- essential trace element in plant nutrition. Some soils are barren for lack of this element in the soil
- molybdenum disulphide is a good lubricant, especially at high temperatures where normal oils decompose