Magnesium
...hurization of steel, inoculation of cast iron, and in chemical reagents. Magnesium is natural and has a funny story of its first sighting. Apparently in 1618 a farmer at Epsom in England tried to give his cattle water from a well. The cows wouldn’t drink the water. It was too bitter. The farmer did notice though that the water seemed to heal small skin wounds. The fame of Epsom salts spread. Eventually they were recognized to be Magnesium Sulphate, MgSO4. Magnesium is an Alkaline earth metal that has an atomic weight of 24.3050. Magnesium has two valence electrons in its outer shell, and its density is 1.738 g.cm -3 at 20ºC and 1.58 g.cm-3 at 650RC. Magnesium melts at 650ºC and boils at 1103ºC. Magnesium is a grayish-white, fairly tough metal that is the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust although not found in its elemental form. Magnesium is however a ductile solid metal that has twelve protons and twelve neutrons in its nucleus. Magnesium has quite a few isotopes. Magnesium’s “stable” isotopes are: Mg-24, Mg-25, and Mg-26. While Magnesium’s unstable isotopes are: Mg-27 and Mg-28. However Magnesium’s unstable isotopes have half lives of 9 ½ minutes and 21 hours. So in other words, they are the product of radioactive decay. Magnesium tarnishes slightly in air, and finely divided magnesium readily ignites upon heating in air and burns with a dazzling white flame. Magnesium is coated with a layer of oxide, MgO, which protects magnesium from air and water. Finally, Magnesium’s electron configuration is: 2.8.2. Hopefully all questions about the element, Magnesium have been answered. ...