The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-06-20


izing this property the writer patente,
In Canada, Great Britain and the Unit
ed States, process (prior to the war
by which. under certain conditions i
Is possible by heating molybdenite or,
or concentrates volatile all tn,
molybdenum content and readily re.
cover same in the form of moIybdi,
tri-oXide from which pure ductile mo.
lyodenum metal itself may thus bt
formed. Commercial ductile molybde.
hum metal (wire) is now $36 pc,
pound in the United States
Metallic molybdenum is more mean
descent, when used as tilament ia
an electric bulb. than tungsten, and
lasts longer
Less than one-third of the amount
OF tungsten required in steel allowing
VIII produce a better result with mo
iybdenum than with other metals.
certain alloy of molybdenum has
been ascertained to have the same CO.
efficient of expansion as platinum and
is now used instead of that metal in
the fusing of incandescent electric
lamps of all kinds. In this form mo-
lybdenum is fast taking the place of
platinum in many of its applications,
particularly in electrical work, dental
work and jewelry.
In addition to its manifold uses in
steel manufactures, the many chemi-
cal salts and combinations of this
most wonderful element are being
used more and more extensively in the
arts and crafts, in producing a beaut-
iful blue pigment of striking quality in
the decoration of porcelain, as a NOR
daunt if fixing various extremely deli
cate and otherwise fugitive shades in
the dyeing of silks and woolens, in
a rustling effect in satins,
etc, for imparting unique colors to
leather and rubber fabrics hitherto
by any other substance,
as ammonium molybdate and molybdic
acid in analytical chemistry, as a
germicide for cloth and other manu-
featured articles and for fire. proofing
and other textiles.
AS an alloying constituent in cut
lery, the use of molybdenum is now
recognized. The extraordinary prop
critics of swords and knives of native
in India and the far east
and the famous Swedish steel, notably
Of Eskilstuna is considered due to the
presence of this element which has
been found upon analysis to exist to
the extent of six per cent in these ar
ticles. 1t is of common occurrence
in Swedish iron ores.
Ut will thus be seen that molybde-
mum in it's many applications bids fair
to outrival such well known metals
as nickel and aluminium in the worlds
The demand for this metal is so
enormous and rapidly increasing that
a systematic search is now being
made by the allies. Many concerns
have been and are being formed with
the object of mining and recovering
the ores of molybdenum. principally
and wulfenite. Analo-
gous to graphite and mica, this mo-
ybdenite is a similar secondary pro-
duct of a purely local reaction and Is
chiefly to be found in the altered con-
stitutents forming varying and uncer-
tain contacts, principally pyroxenes,
between limestone and granite forma-
tons. The molybdenite, or sulphide
Of molybdenum, has in all probability
been evolved from abysmal depths as
a gas or fume at a temperature and
pressure far exceeding it's critical
point and having thus been caught
in the molten magma has been re-
tanned as erratic splatches or crys"
tails disseminated throughout the gan
que. 1t is therefore usual to find that
on sinking any distance perhaps a few
feet, on a showing of this ore that the
mineral "peters out" completely, and
Nouiu VAIN oily
ing prospectors or miners to be very
chary at taking up this class of work
without a thorough knowledge of the
geology and mineralogy of this form
alton, as otherwise they are almost
sure to come to grief ere long. The
and mining of molybde-
mite today Is much in the same po-
sition as that of nickel ore in Canada
a few years ago, and undoubtedly
promises to be as valuable at least in
the near future Since the present
enormous demand for this high priced
mineral many ventures have succeed
ed in finding deposits of more or less
value which, however they have been
at a loss as to how to concentrate
to permit of payable ship
ping. These deposits have usually
assayed from rs per cent to % per
cent molybdenum (molybdenum sui
plide) or say equal to IS to $40 ore
Uaking the imperial munition price at
81 per pound). To meet these emer-
several companies as well as
the imperial munition board have
erected concentrators which pay for
the amount extracted only, and as that
seldom exceeds 20 per cent of the
content, mine owners are
not by any means fully compensated
for their laIhor the latter cOnCentratOr