Molybdenum

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THEMUSEUM, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Molybdenum, 42, The Museum, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Molybdenum: THEMUSEUM, Kitchener-Waterloo, asked visiting students to create a molybdenum
tile. Shaun McFee was voted as the winner from the entries displayed on the THEMUSEUM. Shaun’s tile description: My tile symbolizes transformation. From idea to execution it is meant to reflect that Mo touches life in both its earliest forms and the most modern applications. My tile was created using software to symbolize the intersection of technology and the natural world. The palette is mainly grayscale because of molybdenum’s silver colour. The layers of text reflect the over-lapping layers of modern uses. Juxtapositions that at first seem opposite (text like “Steel” and “Life”) prove to be inherent in one another’s properties or evolution. The repetitive symbols represent replication of cells and the thin drawn lines echo atom structures and basic life. Free-form and biological becomes angular and technological, tracing the arc of Mo over the life of the universe.

Original artwork by Shaun McFee. Teacher in Residence: Lori-Ann Earl, THEMUSEUM, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Atomic properties*

Name:
Molybdenum
Symbol:
Mo
Atomic number:
42
Atomic mass:
95.94 amu
Melting point:
2623°C
Boiling point:
4639°C
Density:
10.2 g/cm3
Electronegativity:
2.16
# of Isotopes:
8
State:
Solid
Colour:
White
Classification:
Metallic±

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

± Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/