Recognized by Joseph Black at Edinburgh,
Scotland. Isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808.
Remarks
Silvery white, lustrous, relatively soft
metal. Obtained by electrolysis of fused MgCl2. Burns in air
and reacts with hot water. Used as bulk metal and in lightweight alloys
with magnesium for engines, also as a sacrificial electrode to protect
other metals.
Diagnostic tests:
Moistened, after heating, with cobalt nitrate (CoNO3)and again ignited,
a pink color is obtained from some infusible compounds of magnesium.
Infusible magnesium minerals glow with exaggerated incandescence in the
flame test (along with Sr, Ca, Zr, Zn, Ce - the "lime light
effect").
In solution, (NH4)2SO4 and (NH4)2C2O4
will remove Ca and Ba as a precipitate. Decant the solution and add NH4OH
and Na2HPO4. A white precipitate (MgNH4PO4)
shows the presence of magnesium.
References
Emsley, J., 1991; THE ELEMENTS : Sec. Ed.,
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 251 p.
(* - Mineral Name Is Not IMA Approved)
(! - New Dana classification added or changed from Danas New Mineralogy)
(? - IMA Discredited Mineral Species Name)
There are 899 minerals with Mg in the Mineralogy Database.