The solubility and speciation of molybdenum in water vapour at elevated temperatures and pressures : implications for ore genesis

Abstract

The solubility of molybdenum trioxide in liquid-undersaturated water vapour has been investigated experimentally at 300, 320, and 360°C and 48 to 163 bars. Results of these experiments show that the solubility of MoO3 in the vapour phase is between 1 and 23 ppm, which is 19-20 orders of magnitude higher than that in a water-free system. Molybdenum solubilities increase linearly with fH2O , indicating that the metal forms a gaseous hydrated complex of the type MoO3·nH2O by the reaction: MoO3g+nH 2Og=MoO3· nH2Og A1 The hydration number, n, is interpreted to have a value of 2.6 at 300ºC, 2.5 at 320ºC, and 3.0 at 360ºC. Values of log K for this reaction are 16.9 at 300ºC, 16.5 at 320ºC, and 12.5 at 360ºC.Calculations based on the extrapolated solubility of MoO 3 in equilibrium with molybdenite at 600ºC and 500 bars, using average H2O and total S fluxes of actively degassing volcanoes, with fO2 and fS2 controlled by the assemblage hematite-magnetite-pyrite, indicate that the vapour phase can transport sufficient Mo in about 900,000 years (within the life of some geothermal systems) to form a deposit of 336 Mt, with an average grade of 0.087% Mo (e.g., the Endako Mo-porphyry deposit, Canada)