Molybdenum Pentachloride is a crystalline, reactive, relatively volatile, refractory-metal halide of exceptionally high purity.  The following properties of molybdenum pentachloride contribute to its usefulness:

• Chemically active in both vapor state and solution.
• Volatile at moderate temperatures.
• Can be decomposed readily in vapor state to give metallic molybdenum deposition.
• Soluble in organic solvents.

Molybdenum powder of extremely small particle size can be produced by controlled vapor-state reduction of molybdenum pentachloride with dry hydrogen.  Molybdenum pentachloride has been used as a brazing and soldering flux for Menel, tungsten alloys, and copper.  It has also been shown to be an effective catalyst for the chlorination of aromatic rings and the partial or complete chlorination of phthalic anhydride.  The Friedel-Craft reaction of ethyl benzyl with benzene is catalyzed by molybdenum pentachloride.

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SYLVANIA's high-purity molybdenum pentachloride is a source of high-purity molybdenum for many applications.  It is used for vapor deposition of molybdenum.  High-purity molybdenum may be deposited on both metallic and nonmetallic surfaces to give a thin, adherent, uniform, hard coating.  These coatings exhibit many desirable characteristics including resistance to corrosion, erosion, chemicals, and high temperatures.