The discovery of molybdenum sheet is a very difficult process. In 1782, Elm of Sweden discovered molybdenum through the closed burning between the charcoal over the linseed oil and molybdic acid mixture. In 1953, molybdenum as the essential elements for human and animal is confirmed. And the major mineral is molybdenite.
Natural molybdenite MoS2 is a soft black mineral, and the appearance is similar to graphite. Before the end of eighteenth Century, two of them are all sold named "molybdenite" in the European market. In 1779, Scheler pointed out that the graphite and molybdenite are two kinds of completely different material. He found that the nitric acid had no effect on graphite, but it has a reaction with molybdenite, and get a kind of white powder, and then a salt crystallization after it is boiled with the alkali solution. He thinks that the white powder is a kind of metal oxides, mixed with charcoal and then heat, but the result doesn’t obtain metal. However, the original molybdenite will be got after heated together with sulfur. In 1782, Elmo, a mine owner from Swedish, isolated the metal from molybdenite, and named molybdenum, the element symbol is Mo. We translated into molybdenum. It gets acknowledged of Betsey and other people.
Mo-99 is one of the radioactive isotopes of molybdenum, and it is used for the preparation of technetium -99 in the hospital. Technetium -99 is a radioactive isotope, after the patient taking; it can be used for the angiography for visceral organs. Molybdenum -99 is usually stored in a relatively small container after the absorption of powder alumina. What's more, when the Mo -99 decay and generated technetium -99, if required, the technetium -99 can be taken out from the container and give it to the patient.