We know yet the physical properties and special features of magnesium. In chemical view the metal can be produces like a brilliant white light when magnesium burns in air. The truth is magnesium is main component of all magnesium alloys, not only a little part of them, how people thought. Magnesium chemical applications include uses like reagent in the production of titanium and zirconium (Kroll process), reduction of uranium fluoride to uranium metal, production of beryllium and hafnium. Magnesium chloride from the Kroll process is electrolyzed to recover magnesium and chlorine. The normal magnesium requirement to compensate for losses is 0.1 t per ton of titanium. Many magnesium chips for the metallic uranium have a specified limited content of boron, cadmium, and rare-earth elements including gadolinium, samarium, europium, and dysprosium.
Magnesium element can react with couple of other chemical elements. For example the reaction with air makes the white magnesium oxide. Magnesium is a silvery white metal. The surface of magnesium metal is covered with a thin layer of oxide that helps protect the metal from attack by air. Once ignited magnesium metal burns in air with a characteristic blinding bright white flame and give a mixture of MgO and magnesium nitride.
2Mg(s) + O2(g) -> 2MgO(s)
3Mg(s) + N2(g) -> Mg3N2(s)
Often find in the water magnesium does not react with water to any significant extent. Calcium (which stays next to magnesium in the periodic table) reacts with water slowly. We can describe the reaction like those below:
Mg(s) + 2H2O(g) -> Mg (OH)2(aq) + H2(g)
Magnesium is very reactive towards the halogens such as chlorine, Cl2 or bromine, Br2, and burns to form the dihalides magnesium(II) chloride, MgCl2 and magnesium(II) bromide, MgBr2, respectively.
Mg(s) + Cl2(g) -> MgCl2(s)
Mg(s) + Br2(g) -> MgBr2(s)
Here you can find the reaction of magnesium with acids, too. Magnesium metal dissolves readily in dilute sulphuric acid to form solutions containing the aquated Mg (II) ion together with hydrogen gas, H2. Corresponding reactions with other acids such as hydrochloric acid also give the aquated Mg (II) ion.
Mg(s) + H2SO4 (aq) -> Mg2+(aq) + SO42-(aq) + H2(g)
Mg(s) + 2HCl (aq) -> Mg2+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq) + H2(g)
Magnesium particulate products are used as reducing agents in organic chemistry, particularly Grignard reaction and magnesium alkyls. The Grignard reaction is done by synthesis of complex organic molecules due to its ability to transfer the alkyl group virtually intact and without isomeric modification. So we can produce pharmaceuticals, flavours, agricultural organometallic chemicals and many others.
Source: magnesium-elektron.com
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