The three "inferiority" of magnesium: easy to burn, low strength and easy to corrosion have seriously restricted the development of magnesium alloy technology and products in our country in the past.
As a metal, magnesium is highly coveted by metallurgists for being the lightest metal that can be used in everyday life. However, it suffers two critical weaknesses. It is soft and susceptible to corrosion.
Advantages of the system are low cost, lightweight, and environmental friendliness. Disadvantages are the high corrosion rate of the magnesium metal and the caustic electrolyte.
Due to the highly reactive nature of magnesium, the energy required to lose its valence electrons is available in typical ambient conditions. Most metals have a natural outer oxide layer that can defend them from this level of corrosion, but magnesium's is particularly weak after studying its microstructure.
Since the dissociation of this small amount of dissolved magnesium hydroxide is complete, magnesium hydroxide is considered a strong electrolyte. Its low solubility makes it a weak base.
and alkaline earth metals like calcium, magnesium, etc. are strong bases due to their ability to donate electrons to hydroxyl groups and readily get ionized. - Therefore, magnesium hydroxide is a strong base and hydroxides of most alkali metals and alkaline earth metals are strong bases.
However, magnesium does corrode very quickly. Unlike the reddish brown rusted surface of iron corrosion, magnesium corrosion is actually more of dull gray film.
Magnesium's corrosion performance in pure water is strongly dependent on temperature. At elevated temperatures, the resistance to corrosion in water decreases with increasing temperature, corrosion becoming particularly severe above 100°C [3]. Magnesium is subject to dissolution by most acids.
Magnesium's susceptibility to corrosion occurs despite the presence of an oxide layer. This film, which also develops in other light metals such as aluminium, fails to adequately protect components in acidic and neutral environments, where it can corrode rapidly exposing the metal underneath to further attack.
It's important not to have more than the recommended amount of magnesium, as it can cause diarrhoea, nausea or abdominal cramps. Extremely high levels can lead to an irregular heartbeat or cardiac arrest.
Magnesium is produced from sea water, brines, and magnesium-bearing minerals, which offer unlimited reserves. Due to its widespread natural occurrence and the way it is harvested and processed, magnesium is considered the most eco-friendly and sustainable metal in the world.
It has the highest known damping capacity of any structural metal, capable of withstanding 10x more than aluminium, titanium, or steel. It is very easy to machine, and can be injection moulded. Magnesium is entirely biocompatible, posing no toxicity hazards.
The corrosion of magnesium and its alloys is accompanied by strong hydrogen evolution and the rate of this reaction has been found to increase with the increase in the anodic polarization. This is usually called the negative-difference effect.
Magnesium is an essential element in both plant and animal life. Chlorophyll is the chemical that allows plants to capture sunlight, and photosynthesis to take place. Chlorophyll is a magnesium-centred porphyrin complex. Without magnesium photosynthesis could not take place, and life as we know it would not exist.
Normally stable but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures. A light silvery metal. The more finely divided material reacts with water to liberate hydrogen, a flammable gas, though this reaction is not as vigorous as that of sodium or lithium with water.
Magnesium ions are of particular importance in water pollution and they may contribute to water hardness. Concentrations of magnesium and calcium in water may also be a factor in the distribution of certain crustaceans, fish and other organisms in streams.
Magnesium hydroxide forms, a weak base which turns the water containing phenolphthalein a pink color.
Magnesium reacts with hot water or water vapour to form Magnesium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
When magnesium burns in the air, it reacts with oxygen present in the air to form Magnesium oxide, which is a powder white in color and releases heat and light.
► Exposure to Magnesium may cause “metal fume fever.” This is a flu-like illness with symptoms of metallic taste in the mouth, headache, fever and chills, aches, chest tightness and cough. The symptoms may be delayed for several hours after exposure and usually last for a day or two.
A milky-white solution of magnesium hydroxide, used as a saline osmotic laxative and as an antacid.
water, it is often called milk of magnesia because of its milk-like appearance. The solid mineral form of magnesium hydroxide is known as brucite.