Mg - Magnesium

Magnesium

Magnesium

Atomic Number:	12
Atomic Weight:	24.305
Element Type:	Alkali Earth Metal
Crystal Structure:	Hexagonal
Melting Point:	650.0°C = 1202.0°F = 923.15 K
Boiling Point:	1090.0°C = 1994.0°F = 1363.15 K
Critical Temp:	°C = °F = K
Atomic Radius:	1.72 Å (Å = Angstrom = 10^-10 m)
Covalent Radius:	1.36 Å
Electronegativity:	1.31

History

(Magnesia, district in Thessaly) Compounds of magnesium have long been known. Blackrecognized magnesium as an element in 1755. Davy isolated it in 1808 and Bussy prepared itin coherent form in 1831. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the earth'scrust. It does not occur uncombined, but is found in large deposits in the form ofmagnesite, dolomite, and other minerals.

Sources

The metal is now principally obtained in the U.S. by electrolysis of fused magnesiumchloride derived from brines, wells, and sea water.

'Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring.'

Carl Sagan
(1934-1996)