The Element Magnesium

Important note:   Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties LLC is NOT a producer of elemental magnesium or magnesium alloys ... the following links access other sites on the Web that provide much more detail concerning the manufacture and use of magnesium metals and alloys:

• The Magnesium Home Page

• U.S. Geological Survey - Minerals Information

• Magnesium (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

• Magnesium (from WebElements™ Periodic Table)

The Periodic Table

 Magnesium is the 12th element shown on the periodic table, occupying the IIA group, period 3.   It is a ductile metal in the Alkaline Earth metals, which in pure form, is silvery-white in appearance, similar to aluminum, but lighter in weight.   Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element found in the earth's crust (~ 2.5%) and the third most common element found in the oceans (~ 0.13%).  Magnesium is not commonly found in nature as a pure element.   Rather, magnesium combines with other elements to form minerals such as magnesite and dolomite.   [For an extensive list of magnesium containing minerals, click here.]

Physical Properties of Magnesium

 Discovery ... 

 
 Michael Faraday

The first free metallic magnesium was produced in 1828 by the French scientist Bussy who reduced fused magnesium chloride with metallic potassium.   In 1833, the English scientist Michael Faraday (photo on left), most noted for his work with electrical capacitance, produced magnesium by using electric current to break down magnesium chloride.   However, it was not until 1886 that a German company, I.G. Farbenindustrie, began to produce metallic magnesium on a commercial scale, using Faraday's electrolytic process.

The metal magnesium, by itself, has very little commercial value.   However, in compounds formed with other elements, it becomes an extremely useful material with many diverse applications.   It is the lightest structural metal known to perform well when reduced weight and high strength are important, for example, as in aerospace applications where light weight alloys are used in aircraft fuselages, jet engines, rockets, and missiles.   Magnesium is also the reductant used in the production of many other metals, including titanium, zirconium, uranium, beryllium, and hafnium.   Finely ground magnesium powder will easily ignite upon heating in air, generating a blinding white light.   This property is easily demonstrated by its use in flash bulbs, flares and fireworks, including sparklers.   Magnesium is an important element in both plant and animal life as it is the key component found in plant chlorophyll and is an essential mineral supplement in the diet of both humans and animals.  The Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has published "A Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet for Magnesium" which can be found at http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp.

To obtain information concerning Magnesium Oxide, click here.