STUDIES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF MOLYBDENUM IN BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL: I. A SPECTROGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE OCCURRENCE OF MOLYBDENUM IN PLANTS GROWN IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC

Abstract

Molybdenum, identified spectrographically by the lines 3902.9Å, 3864.1Å, 3798.3Å, 3193.9Å, 3170.3Å, 3158.1Å and 3132.6Å, was found to be present in vetch, alfalfa, alsike, red clover, timothy, goldenrod, reed canary grass, field corn stalks, Canada thistle, ragweed, celery, beets and carrots grown on a farm in Jacques Cartier county, Quebec. Molybdenum could not be detected in the soil on which the plants grew.Molybdenum was not found in vetch plants grown on several farms in Brome, Compton and Sherbrooke counties; nor in timothy, alsike clover or red clover grown on a farm in Brome county; nor in lettuce, celery, cabbage, beets and carrots grown on two different muck soils of the St. Lawrence River valley, in Huntingdon county.The farm in Jacques Carder county lies in the Ottawa River valley drainage basin, the other farms do not. Known deposits of molybdenum occur in the Ottawa River valley.