No, magnesium is not magnetic. It is classified as a diamagnetic material because it lacks unpaired electrons needed to create a magnetic field. Therefore, magnesium does not attract magnets and slightly repels them instead.
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Magnesium metal is one of those materials which are present in heavy amount on earth. It is a lightweight material and has many applications from automotive to medical fields. You know magnesium metals have an interesting thing that it is also an important mineral for our body. But here point to ponder is that is magnesium magnetic or non-magnetic? Answer lies in some interesting facts about magnesium which needs to highlight its structure and properties, first. Therefore, this article helps you to understand the magnetic properties of magnesium along with its structure, properties, and applications.
Contents
Click the links below to skip to the section in the guide:
Understanding Magnesium
Is Magnesium Magnetic?
Factors Influencing Magnesium Magnetism
Is Magnesium Paramagnetic or Diamagnetic?
What is Magnesium Metal used for?
Is Magnesium Oxide Magnetic
Summarize
FAQs about Magnesium Metal
Understanding Magnesium
Magnesium metal is a chemical element which is the eight most abundant material present in our earth crusts. This is found along with magnesium chloride and sea salt in its ores. Magnesium metal has 12 atomic number in periodic table and has Mg symbol. it is silvery white in color.
You must know that magnesium is also present as one of the sixth minerals in our body. It helps muscle function properly. It also regulates your nerves and keeps the immune system healthy. For strong bones, magnesium metals are important.
Being a metal, it has useful features. Like it is moderate reactivity when exposed to air. But it is highly reactive when present in steam and water. It can also react with base and acids both and can be highly flammable when heated in the present of air. The flame of magnesium is white in color. The electricity conductivity of magnesium is moderate or low but has slightly high thermal conductivity just like silver and aluminum.
Magnesium at normal temperature is stable in the air. Because a thin protective layer of oxides is formed over its surface which is only attacked by steam it is powerful metal used as reducing agent. This means it is used to produce other metal compounds or to remove elements during processing. For example, it is added in furnace while making steel because it removes sulfur from the molten iron which is a highly flammable element. It has high reactivity and can directly react with other elements.
Different Types of Magnesium
It is lighter in weight. It has interesting property to be bond with other metals and create remarkable alloys with unique properties. It bonds with aluminum to create a material with high strength and lighter in weight. It combines with copper to form a corrosion resistant alloy. It has high efficiency to absorb radiation. Therefore, it has wide applications as shield material against heavy radiation exposure.
Magnesium melting point
The melting point is the temperature at which a solid becomes liquid. The melting point of magnesium is moderate and 650°C (°F) and boiling point is °C (°F). Therefore, the thermal conductivity of magnesium is also moderate.
Magnesium density
Density is the level of compactness in any material. it measures as mass per unit volume (g/cm3). The density of magnesium is 1.74(g/cm3) at room temperature. Therefore, it is known as one of the lightweight materials.
Magnesium strength
Magnesium is known to be one of the good strength materials with lightweight. It implies it has a high strength to weight ratio. Magnesium metals have yield strength of 3,000 psi (20 MPa) and 12,000 psi (20 MPa) tensile strength.
Magnesium hardness
Hardness is the ability of material to be hard or scratch other material or being scratched itself. Magnesium has good hardness. The hardness of magnesium is 2.5 on Mohs scale. The Brinell hardness of magnesium is 30.
Magnesium mechanical properties
Magnesium is famous as a lighter structural metal in industrial applications. It has a mechanically resistant alloy and good corrosion resistance. It also has better elevated temperatures mechanical properties. Magnesium metals form hydrogen gas when reacts with water. Compared to its alloys, pure magnesium metals have low strength. It is therefore added with other elements to make alloy and to increase its strength such as zinc, and aluminum. This increases its hardness, castability, weldability and machinability.
Magnesium physical properties
Magnesium has an atomic weight of 24.305gm. its atomic radius is 0.160nm. It has two electrons in the outer most shell and has 3 isotopes with atomic masses of 24, 25 and 26. Magnesium has low reflectance in both visible light and infrared radiation. It has high absorbance in ultraviolent radiation.
Is Magnesium Magnetic?
No, magnesium is not magnetic. You must be wondering why? It is rather defined as paramagnetic material. The magnetic properties of magnesium metals are because of interaction with electric and magnetic forces. This implies when a magnet is placed near to the metal, the electrons near the atom in magnesium are aligned in the direction of field. The alignment is due to the presence of unpaired electrons in its valance shell which creates a net magnetic moment. Paramagnetic metal show interaction when placed near magnets while the diamagnetic shows repulsion, for example copper and non metals
Magnesium is a strong paramagnetic material. This mechanism is based on two principles: spin magnetism and orbital magnetism. Spin magnetism is related to electronic spinning and orbital magnetism is related to the electrons revolving around the orbit of atom&#;s nucleus. Sometimes, the half-filled orbitals create the electrons to become unpaired and this causes a paramagnetic effect in metal.
Factors Influencing Magnesium Magnetism
You already know that the magnetism in any metal has various interesting reasons. Some of them are their crystal structure and atomic structure. Temperature also has an impact on the magnetic properties of magnetic metals. The factors affecting the magnetic properties of magnesium are discussed below.
Crystal Structure and Temperature
As you know crystal structure has high impact on magnetic properties of any metal. magnesium has two valance electrons in its atomic structure which makes it paramagnetic material. But another thing is temperature which has a good impact on magnetic properties. When a material is exposed to heat, magnetic properties of any material are decreased. This mechanism is known as Curies law of paramagnetic. That means paramagnetic properties of magnesium are inversely proportional to temperature, as temperature increases, para-magnetization decreases.
Why are not all steels magnetic, even iron and nickel are magnetic
Steel is one of the strongest magnetic alloys found on earth. All the alloys of steels still show nonmagnetic nature such as austenitic stainless steel. Interesting point here to note is, iron is present in their compositions, and they behave as nonmagnetic alloys. This is due to its crystal structure like non metals. Austenite is a form of microstructure found in stainless steel. The presence of heavy amount of microstructure austenite is non-magnetic. That is why is a non-magnetic alloy.
Magnesium, as a non-magnetic metal
Magnesium is a non-magnetic material. It does not have its own magnetic field or cannot interact with magnet on its own. It only shows magnetic interaction when a strong magnet is close to it. Magnetic properties are also prominent when a magnetic metal is combined with magnesium and thus making it magnetic substances. This makes magnesium a magnetic alloy such as aluminum or zinc. These elements have prominent magnetic properties and show interaction in the presence of magnetic forces. These alloys are favorable only in certain conditions otherwise, they are better as non-magnetic as non-metals.
Is Magnesium Paramagnetic or Diamagnetic?
Magnesium is paramagnetic. It has two valance electrons in its outermost shell which are positively charged ions. These ions interact with magnetic forces because they are unpaired electrons. These electrons have their own spin movement and can be attracted to magnetic field when applied externally. This interaction makes the magnetic moment aligned in the direction of magnetic field. This phenomenon is specifically found in paramagnetic materials. However, diamagnetic materials have no interaction with magnetic forces. in fact, they repel magnetic forces. Their orbitals have dipoles which oppose magnetic field permanently because of the presence of paired electrons. This feature does not find in magnesium. Therefore, it is paramagnetic metal.
You know magnesium has many industrial applications because it is a lightweight material and has high strength. This is used in making laptops, cameras, power tools, car seats and luggage. It is highly flammable when it is present in air and can burn bright light. Therefore, it is used in making flares, sparkles, and fireworks. It is added in furnace during iron melting because it is useful to remove sulfur.
It is also an important mineral for our body. It is one of the sixth mineral present in our body. It helps in properly functioning of nerves, regulates muscles and maintains our blood pressure by making strong bones, DNA, and protein in our body.
Is Magnesium Oxide Magnetic?
You will be surprised to know Magnesium itself is not magnetic. Therefore, Magnesium oxide is also non-magnetic. There are some magnesium compounds which are referred to as magnetic material but do not contain magnesium oxides. These compounds have magnetic properties because of their compositions, structures, and applications. These alloys are fabricated because they have good resistance to corrosion resistant, electrically conduction and have many uses in aerospace, automotive and medical fields. There are some other elements like rare earth metal combined with magnesium to make it magnetic substances for certain application. Magnesium and magnesium oxide are still classified as nonmagnetic materials like non metals. It also reacts with rare earth metals to make magnetic substances.
However, magnesium oxides are a very useful compound that has a variety of applications. It is used in making steel. The slurry to magnesium oxide is coated on steel to make it an alloy high temperature resistant alloy. This is also used to make magnetic steel sheets. When magnesium reacts with silicon steel, it creates a surface which has a specific structure known as &#;Forsterite&#;. This makes silicon steel magnetic in nature.
Summarize
Magnesium metal is a chemical element. It is the eighth most abundant element found on earth. This is found along with magnesium chloride and sea salt in its ores.
Magnesium has many industrial applications because it is a lightweight material and has high strength. It is moderate reactivity when exposed to air. But it is highly reactive when present in steam and water. It can also react with base and acids both and can be highly flammable when heated in present of air. Flame of magnesium is white in color. The electricity conductivity of magnesium is moderate or low but has slightly high thermal conductivity.
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Magnesium is paramagnetic. It has two valance electrons in its outermost shell which are positively charged ions. These ions interact with magnetic forces because they are unpaired electrons. When there is a reaction between magnesium and other magnetic elements, like zinc and aluminum, it becomes magnetic. It also reacts with rare earth metals for specific application to make it magnetic substances. But rare earth metals are not detected in microscopes without the presence of special equipment, therefore their applications are limited.
Magnesium oxides also have many applications. It is used in making steel. The slurry to magnesium oxide is coated on steel to make it an alloy high temperature resistant alloy. This is also used to make magnetic steel sheets. When magnesium reacts with silicon steel, it creates a surface which has a specific structure known as &#;Forsterite&#;. This makes silicon steel magnetic in nature.
How common is magnesium metal?
Magnesium is one of the most common elements found on earth&#;s crust. It is the eighth most abundant element available on earth. It covers almost 2% of the total constituents present on earth. Mineral of magnesium present on earth is almost 60%. It is also found in sea water. Commonly found minerals of magnesium metal are brucite, magnesite, dolomite, olivine and carnallite which are also commercially important minerals.
Is magnesium a strong or weak metal?
Magnesium is an extremely light weight, strong and environmentally friendly material which makes it a strong metal. It has a variety of applications for industries due to its strong mechanical properties. In industries, it comes at third position as a structural metal to be used widely after steel and aluminum.
What elements are often used in magnets?
The elements found commonly found in magnet are nickel, Iron, and cobalt, and nickel. These are naturally present magnetic substances and are the strongest magnetic elements among all elements. Iron magnets among them are the weakest because their magnetization decreases with passage of time. But nickel and cobalt are strongest magnetic substances and have permanent magnetization which remains forever. It also reacts with rare earth metals to make magnetic substances.
Chemical compound naturally occurring as periclase
Chemical compound
Magnesium oxide (MgO), or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium (see also oxide). It has an empirical formula of MgO and consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2&#; ions held together by ionic bonding. Magnesium hydroxide forms in the presence of water (MgO + H2O &#; Mg(OH)2), but it can be reversed by heating it to remove moisture.
Magnesium oxide was historically known as magnesia alba (literally, the white mineral from Magnesia), to differentiate it from magnesia nigra, a black mineral containing what is now known as manganese.
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While "magnesium oxide" normally refers to MgO, the compound magnesium peroxide MgO2 is also known. According to evolutionary crystal structure prediction,[11] MgO2 is thermodynamically stable at pressures above 116 GPa (gigapascals), and a semiconducting suboxide Mg3O2 is thermodynamically stable above 500 GPa. Because of its stability, MgO is used as a model system for investigating vibrational properties of crystals.[12]
Electric properties
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Pure MgO is not conductive and has a high resistance to electric current at room temperature. The pure powder of MgO has a relative permittivity inbetween 3.2 to 9.9
k
{\displaystyle k}
with an approximate dielectric loss of tan(δ) > 2.16x103 at 1kHz.[5][6][7]
Production
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Magnesium oxide is produced by the calcination of magnesium carbonate or magnesium hydroxide. The latter is obtained by the treatment of magnesium chloride MgCl
2 solutions, typically seawater, with limewater or milk of lime.[13]
- Mg2+ + Ca(OH)2 &#; Mg(OH)2 + Ca2+
Calcining at different temperatures produces magnesium oxide of different reactivity. High temperatures &#; °C diminish the available surface area and produces dead-burned (often called dead burnt) magnesia, an unreactive form used as a refractory. Calcining temperatures &#; °C produce hard-burned magnesia, which has limited reactivity and calcining at lower temperature, (700&#; °C) produces light-burned magnesia, a reactive form, also known as caustic calcined magnesia. Although some decomposition of the carbonate to oxide occurs at temperatures below 700 °C, the resulting materials appear to reabsorb carbon dioxide from the air.[citation needed]
Applications
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Refractory insulator
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MgO is prized as a refractory material, i.e. a solid that is physically and chemically stable at high temperatures. It has the useful attributes of high thermal conductivity and low electrical conductivity. According to a reference book:[14]
By far the largest consumer of magnesia worldwide is the refractory industry, which consumed about 56% of the magnesia in the United States in , the remaining 44% being used in agricultural, chemical, construction, environmental, and other industrial applications.
MgO is used as a refractory material for crucibles. It is also used as an insulator in heat-resistant electrical cable.
Biomedical
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Among metal oxide nanoparticles, magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) have distinct physicochemical and biological properties, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, high bioactivity, significant antibacterial properties, and good mechanical properties, which make it a good choice as a reinforcement in composites. [15]
Heating elements
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It is used extensively as an electrical insulator in tubular construction heating elements as in electric stove and cooktop heating elements. There are several mesh sizes available and most commonly used ones are 40 and 80 mesh per the American Foundry Society. The extensive use is due to its high dielectric strength and average thermal conductivity. MgO is usually crushed and compacted with minimal airgaps or voids.
Cement
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MgO is one of the components in Portland cement in dry process plants.
Sorel cement uses MgO as the main component in combination with MgCl2 and water.
Fertilizer
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MgO has an important place as a commercial plant fertilizer[16] and as animal feed.[17]
Fireproofing
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It is a principal fireproofing ingredient in construction materials. As a construction material, magnesium oxide wallboards have several attractive characteristics: fire resistance, termite resistance, moisture resistance, mold and mildew resistance, and strength, but also a severe downside as it attracts moisture and can cause moisture damage to surrounding materials.[18][14][1]
Medical
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Magnesium oxide is used for relief of heartburn and indigestion, as an antacid, magnesium supplement, and as a short-term laxative. It is also used to improve symptoms of indigestion. Side effects of magnesium oxide may include nausea and cramping.[19] In quantities sufficient to obtain a laxative effect, side effects of long-term use may rarely cause enteroliths to form, resulting in bowel obstruction.[20]
Waste treatment
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Magnesium oxide is used extensively in the soil and groundwater remediation, wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment, air emissions treatment, and waste treatment industries for its acid buffering capacity and related effectiveness in stabilizing dissolved heavy metal species.[according to whom?]
Many heavy metals species, such as lead and cadmium, are least soluble in water at mildly basic conditions (pH in the range 8&#;11). Solubility of metals increases their undesired bioavailability and mobility in soil and groundwater. Granular MgO is often blended into metals-contaminating soil or waste material, which is also commonly of a low pH (acidic), in order to drive the pH into the 8&#;10 range. Metal-hydroxide complexes tend to precipitate out of aqueous solution in the pH range of 8&#;10.
MgO is packed in bags around transuranic waste in the disposal cells (panels) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, as a CO2 getter to minimize the complexation of uranium and other actinides by carbonate ions and so to limit the solubility of radionuclides. The use of MgO is preferred over CaO since the resulting hydration product (Mg(OH)
2) is less soluble and releases less hydration heat. Another advantage is to impose a lower pH value (about 10.5) in case of accidental water ingress into the dry salt layers, in contast to the more soluble Ca(OH)
2 which would create a higher pH of 12.5 (strongly alkaline conditions). The Mg2+
cation being the second most abundant cation in seawater and in rocksalt, the potential release of magnesium ions dissolving in brines intruding the deep geological repository is also expected to minimize the geochemical disruption.[21]
Niche uses
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Unpolished MgO crystal
Brake lining
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Magnesia is used in brake linings for its heat conductivity and intermediate hardness.[33] It helps dissipate heat from friction surfaces, preventing overheating, while minimizing wear on metal components.[34] Its stability under high temperatures ensures reliable and durable braking performance in automotive and industrial applications.[35]
Thin film transistors
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In thin film transistors(TFTs), MgO is often used as a dielectric material or an insulator due to its high thermal stability, excellent insulating properties, and wide bandgap.[36] Optimized IGZO/MgO TFTs demonstrated an electron mobility of 1.63 cm²/Vs, an on/off current ratio of 10&#;, and a subthreshold swing of 0.50 V/decade at &#;0.11 V.[37] These TFTs are integral to low-power applications, wearable devices, and radiation-hardened electronics, contributing to enhanced efficiency and durability across diverse domains.[38][39]
Historical uses
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- It was historically used as a reference white color in colorimetry, owing to its good diffusing and reflectivity properties.
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It may be smoked onto the surface of an opaque material to form an integrating sphere.
- Early gas mantle designs for lighting, such as the Clamond basket, consisted mainly of magnesium oxide.
Precautions
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Inhalation of magnesium oxide fumes can cause metal fume fever.[41]
See also
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Notes
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References
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