In order to write the Mg electron configuration we first need to know the number of electrons for the Mg atom (there are 12 electrons). When we write the configuration we'll put all 12 electrons in orbitals around the nucleus of the Magnesium atom. In writing the electron configuration for Magnesium the first two electrons will go in the 1s orbital. About Magnesium-26 Metal Isotope Magnesium 26 Metal (Magnesium-26) is a stable (non-radioactive) isotope of Magnesium. It is both naturally occurring and a produced by fission.
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| General | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name, Symbol, Number | magnesium, Mg, 12 | ||||
| Series | alkaline earth metals | ||||
| Group, Period, Block | 2 (IIA), 3, s | ||||
| Density, Hardness | 1738 kg/m³, 2.5 | ||||
| Appearance | silvery white | ||||
| Atomic properties | |||||
| Atomic weight | 24.305 amu | ||||
| Atomic radius (calc.) | 150 pm (145 pm) | ||||
| Covalent radius | 130 pm | ||||
| van der Waals radius | 173 pm | ||||
| Electron configuration | [Ne]3s² | ||||
| e-'s per energy level | 2, 8, 2 | ||||
| Oxidation states (Oxide) | 2 (strong base) | ||||
| Crystal structure | Hexagonal | ||||
| Physical properties | |||||
| State of matter | solid (paramagnetic) | ||||
| Melting point | 923 K (1202 °F) | ||||
| Boiling point | 1363 K (1994 °F) | ||||
| Molar volume | 14.00 ×10-6 m³/mol | ||||
| Heat of vaporization | 127.4 kJ/mol | ||||
| Heat of fusion | 8.954 kJ/mol | ||||
| Vapor pressure | 361 Pa at 923 K | ||||
| Speed of sound | 4602 m/s at 293.15 K | ||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||
| Electronegativity | 1.31 (Pauling scale) | ||||
| Specific heat capacity | 1020 J/(kg·K) | ||||
| Electrical conductivity | 22.6 106/m ohm | ||||
| Thermal conductivity | 156 W/(m·K) | ||||
| 1st ionization potential | 737.7 kJ/mol | ||||
| 2nd ionization potential | 1450.7 kJ/mol | ||||
| 3rd ionization potential | 7732.7 kJ/mol | ||||
| SI units & STP are used except where noted. | |||||
Magnesium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element and constitutes about 2% of the Earth's crust, and it is the third most plentiful element dissolved in seawater. This alkaline earth metal is primarily used as an alloying agent to make aluminium-magnesium alloys.
Notable characteristics
Magnesium is a fairly strong, silvery-white, light-weight metal (one third lighter than aluminium) that slightly tarnishes when exposed to air. In a powder, this metal heats and ignites when exposed to air and burns with a white flame. It is difficult to ignite in bulk, though it is easy to light if it is shaved into thin strips.
Uses
Magnesium compounds, primarily magnesium oxide, are used mainly as refractory material in furnace linings for producing iron and steel, nonferrous metals, glass, and cement. Magnesium oxide and other compounds also are used in agricultural, chemical, and construction industries. This element's principal use is as an alloying additive to aluminium with these aluminium-magnesium alloys being used mainly for beverage cans. Magnesium alloys also are used as structural components of automobiles and machinery. Another use of this metal is to aid the removal of sulfur from iron and steel.
Other uses include:
- Magnesium, like aluminium, is strong and light, so it is often used in high grade car wheels, called 'mag wheels.'
- Combined in alloys this metal is essential for airplane and missile construction.
- When used as an alloying agent, this metal improves the mechanical, fabrication, and welding characteristics of aluminium.
- Additive agent for conventional propellants and used in producing nodular graphite in cast iron.
- Reducing agent for the production of pure uranium and other metals from their salts.
- Its hydroxide is used in milk of magnesia, its chloride and sulfate in Epsom salts, and its citrates are used in medicine.
- Dead-burned magnesite is used for refractory purposes such as brick and liners in furnaces and converters.
- Magnesium is also flammable, burning at a temperature of (4000oF?).
- The extremely high temperature at which magnesium burns makes it a handy tool for starting emergency fires during outdoor recreation.
- Magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) powder is also used by athletes, such as gymnasts and weightlifters, to improve the grip on objects—the apparatus or lifting bar.
- Other uses include flashlight photography, flares, and pyrotechnics, including incendiary bombs.
History
The name originates from the Greek word for a district in Thessaly called Magnesia. Joseph Black in England recognized magnesium as being an element in 1755, Sir Humphrey Davey electrolytically isolated pure magnesium metal in 1808 from a mix of magnesia and HgO and A. A. B. Bussy prepared it in coherent form in 1831. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust. It is an alkaline earth metal and therefore does not occur uncombined with other elements. It is found in large deposits of magnesite, dolomite, and other minerals.
Sources
In the United States this metal is principally obtained by electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride from brines, wells, and sea water. Although magnesium is found in over 60 minerals, only dolomite, magnesite, brucite, carnallite, talc, and olivine are of commercial importance.
Isolation (* follow):
cathode: Mg2+* + 2e- !’ Mg
anode: 2Cl-* !’ Cl2 (gas) + 2e-
Compounds in living organisms
Organic magnesium is important in both plant and animal life. Chlorophylls are magnesium-centered porphyrins. The adult daily nutritional requirement, which is affected by various factors include weight and size, is about 300 mg/day. Many enzymes require the presence of magnesium ions for their catalytic action.
Food sources
Green vegetables such as spinach provide magnesium because the center of the chlorophyll molecule contains magnesium. Nuts, seeds, and some whole grains are also good sources of magnesium.
Although magnesium is present in many foods, it usually occurs in small amounts. As with most nutrients, daily needs for magnesium cannot be met from a single food. Eating a wide variety of foods, including five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and plenty of whole grains, helps to ensure an adequate intake of magnesium.
The magnesium content of refined foods is usually low. Whole-wheat bread, for example, has twice as much magnesium as white bread because the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed when white flour is processed. The table of food sources of magnesium suggests many dietary sources of magnesium.
Water can provide magnesium, but the amount varies according to the water supply. 'Hard' water contains more magnesium than 'soft' water. Dietary surveys do not estimate magnesium intake from water, which may lead to underestimating total magnesium intake and its variability.
Following are some foods and the amount of magnesium in them:
- spinach (1/2 cup) = 80 milligrams (mg)
- peanut butter (2 tablespoons) = 50 mg
- black-eyed peas (1/2 cup) = 45 mg
- milk, low fat (1 cup) = 40 mg
Isotopes
Magnesium-26 is a stable isotope that has found application in isotopic geology, similar to that of aluminium. Mg-26 is a radiogenic daughter product of Al-26, which has a half-life of 717000 years. Large enrichments of stable Mg-26 have been observed in the Ca-Al-rich inclusions of some carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. The anomalous abundance of Mg-26 is attributed to the decay of its parent Al-26 in the inclusions. Therefore, the meteorite must have formed in the solar nebula before the Al-26 had decayed. Hence, these fragments are among the oldest objects in the solar system and have preserved information about its earliest history.
It is conventional to plot Mg-26/Mg-24 against an Al/Mg ratio. In an isochrone plot, the Al/Mg ratio plotted is Al-27/Mg-24. The slope of the isochron has no age significance, but indicates the initial Al-26/Al-27 ratio in the sample at the time when the systems were separated from a common reservoir.
Precautions
Magnesium metal and alloys are highly flammable in their pure form as melts and when it is a powder.
Magnesium metal quickly reacts exothermically upon contact with air or water and should be handled with care. Wear safety glasses! The bright white light (including ultraviolet) produced by burning magnesium can damage the eyes. Water should not be used to extinguish magnesium fires.
External links
- WebElements.com – Magnesium(http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Mg/index.html)
- EnvironmentalChemistry.com – Magnesium(http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Mg.html)
- – Magnesium Deficiency(http://www.ctds.info/5_13_magnesium.html)
- – The Magnesium Website(http://www.mgwater.com/index.shtml)
- Magnesium(http://www.talkwellness.org/magnesium.html)
Magnesium is a group two element and is the eighth most common element in the earth's crust. Magnesium is light, silvery-white, and tough. Like aluminum, it forms a thin layer around itself to help prevent itself from rusting when exposed to air. Fine particles of magnesium can also catch on fire when exposed to air. Magnesium is essential in nutrition for animals and plants. It is also used as an alloy to combine with other metals to make them lighter and easier to weld, for purposes in the aerospace industry along with other industries. It is also used in medicine, in the forms of magnesium hydroxides, sulfates, chlorides, and citrates.
General Information
- Symbol: Mg
- Atomic Number: 12
- Atomic/Molar Mass: 24.31
- Melting Point: 648.8°C, 921.8K
- Boiling Point: 1090°C, 1363K
- Density:1.738 g/cc
- Oxidation states: +2
- Electron Shell Configuration: [Ne]3s2
Characteristics
Magnesium takes it name from magnesite ore, named for the district Magnesia in Thessaly, Greece. Magnesium is a strong metal that is light and silvery-white. Recognized as a element as far back as 1775, it was first isolated in pure form by Davy in 1805. Magnesium has the ability to tarnish, which creates an oxide layer around itself to prevent it from rusting. It also has the ability to react with water at room temperature. When exposed to water, bubbles form around the metal. Increasing the temperature speeds up this reaction.
Magnesium Fire
One property of magnesium is high flammability. Like many other things, magnesium is more flammable when it has a higher surface area to volume ratio. An example of surface area to volume ratio is seen in the lighting of fire wood. It is easier to light kindling and smaller branches than a whole log. This property of magnesium is used in war, photography, and in light bulbs. Magnesium is used in war for incendiary bombs, flares, and tracer bullets. When these weapons are used, they ignite immediately and cause fires. The only way to extinguish a magnesium fire is to cover it with sand. Water does not extinguish the fire as water reacts with the hot magnesium and releases even more hydrogen.
Applications
Magnesium is one of the lightest metals, and when used as an alloy, it is commonly used in the automotive and aeronautical industries. The use of magnesium has increased and peaked in 1943. One reason the use of magnesium has increased is that it is useful in alloys. Alloys with magnesium are able to be welded better and are lighter, which is ideal for metals used in the production of planes and other military goods.
Another characteristic of magnesium is that it aids in the digestive process. Magnesium is commonly used in milk of magnesia and Epsom salts. These forms of magnesium can range from magnesium hydroxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium citrate. Magnesium not only aids in humans and animals, but also in plants. It is used to convert the sun's lights into energy for the plant in a process known as photosynthesis. The main component of this process is chlorophyll. This is a pigment molecule that is composed of magnesium. Without magnesium, photosynthesis as we know it would not be possible.
Isotopes
Magnesium Atom Image
Magnesium has three stable isotopes, Mg-24, Mg-25, Mg-26. The most common isotope is Mg-24, which is 79% of all Mg found on Earth. Mg25 and Mg26 are used to study the absorption and metabolism of magnesium in the human body. They are also used to study heart disease.
Magnesium not only has stable isotopes, but also has radioactive isotopes, which are isotopes that have an unstable nuclei. These isotopes are Mg--22, Mg23, Mg-27, Mg-28, and Mg-29. Mg-28 was commonly used in nuclear sites for scientific experiments from the 1950s to 1970s.
How Many Atoms Are In Magnesium
Reactions With
Water: When exposed to steam, magnesium changes from magnesium to magnesium oxide and hydrogen.
[Mg(s) +H_2O(g) rightarrow MgO(s) + H_2(g) ]
When exposed to cold water, the reaction is a bit different. The reaction does not stop because the magnesium hydroxide gets insoluble in water.
[Mg(s) +2H_2O(g) rightarrow Mg(OH)_2(s) + H_2(g)]
Oxygen: When exposed to oxygen, magnesium turns into magnesium oxide.
[2Mg(s) +O_2(g) rightarrow 2MgO(s)]
Hydrogen: When exposed to hydrogen, magnesium turns into magnesium hydride.
[Mg(s) + H_2(g) rightarrow MgH_2(s)]
Nitrogen: When reacted with nitrogen, magnesium turns into magnesium nitride.
[3Mg(s) + N_2(g) rightarrow Mg_3N_2(s)]
Halogens: When reacted with a halogen, magnesium is very reactive. An example will be with chloride. When reacted with chloride, the product is magnesium(II) chloride.
[Mg(s) + Cl_2(g) rightarrow MgCl_2(s)]
Acids: When reacted with acids, magnesium dissolves and forms solutions that have both the Mg(II) ion and hydrogen gas.
[Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq) rightarrow Mg^{2+}(aq) + 2Cl^-(aq) + H_2(g)]
Bases: When reacted with bases, magnesium react.
References
- Avedesian, M. M., and Hugh Baker. Magnesium and Magnesium Alloys. Materials Park, OH: ASM International, 1999. Print.
- Cowan, J. A. The Biological Chemistry of Magnesium. New York: VCH, 1995. Print.
Outside Links
- http://science.jrank.org/pa ges/4064/Magnesium.html
- http://www.webelements.com/magnesium/
Problems
- Why does magnesium not rust?
- Why is it not possible to extinguish magnesium with water?
- What isotopes are used for heart studies?
- Why is magnesium commonly used to create automobiles and planes?
- What is the common oxidation state for magnesium?
Solutions
- Because it is able to tarnish— the ability to create a thin oxide layer around the metal.
- Because water releases hydrogen when exposed to hot magnesium.
- Mg25 and Mg26
- Because it can be combined with other metals to make them lighter and easier to weld.
- +2
Contributors and Attributions
- Ryan Kim (UC Davis)
- Avneet Kahlon (UC Davis)