Amine molybdates may be produced by reacting an amine or an amine salt with a molybdenum compound such as molybdenum trioxide (MoO.sub.3), molybdic acid or a molybdenum salt in an acidic aqueous medium made acidic through the addition of a suitable acid such as an inorganic acid (exemplified by hydrochloric acid, nitric acid or sulfuric acid) or an organic acid containing 1 to 12 carbon atoms (exemplified by acetic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, and the like). The acidic mixture is refluxed, preferably while being stirred continuously, until the reaction is complete, usually for about 1/4 to 16 hours. Amine molybdates also may be produced, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,292, by reacting essentially stoichiometric quantities of molydenum trioxide with an amine in an aqueous medium essentially free of acid and in which a water-soluble ammonium or monovalent metal or divalent metal or trivalent rare earth metal salt of an inorganic or organic acid is dissolved. The particular amine molybdate formed often depends upon which process is used to form the amine molybdate and the quantity of reactants present in the reaction mixture, as well as the reaction conditions.
Although many amine molybdates formed as a result of the aforementioned reactions exist as water-insoluble solid products that can be separated conveniently from the liquid phase of the reaction products by filtration, centrifugation or other suitable separation procedures, many of the amine molybdates are amorphous "solids" which have a sticky resinous consistency or exist as a viscous liquid material at room temperature (25.degree. C.). When such amine molybdates are formed in an aqueous medium, they are difficult to separate from the aqueous phase, difficult to purify and difficult to handle. These amine molybdates, however, have been found to be soluble in many of the common organic solvents.