Sam's Magnesium Blog

In 1618, Henry Wicker, a farmer in England at the time, attempted to give his cows water from a well. They refused to drink because of the bitter taste of the water. However the farmer noticed that the water somehow seemed heal scratches and rashes. 

Joseph Black recognized magnesium as an element in 1755. It was isolated by Sir Humphry Davy  in 1808 almost 200 years after its discovery. He electrolysis a mixture of magnesia  and mercuric oxide. Davy's first suggestion for a name was magnium but the name magnesium is now used.  

The sea contains trillions of tonnes of magnesium, and is commonly found in the Earths crust. It is also found in large deposits of magnesite and dolomite. 

Magnesium is one of the essential elements to life, and the compound is commonly used in medicine.
Some compounds that magnesium is a part of are magnesium hydroxide, magnesium chloride, magnesium oxide, and magnesium sulfate. 

Magnesium is in Group 2 and in Period 3. It is in Group 2 because it is a alkaline earth metal, it is less reactive than alkali metals, but they form alkaline oxides and hydroxides. It is in Period 3 because it occurs in nature and has at least one stable isotope.


A experiment that you can do is to check for magnesium levels in your blood serum.

Magnesium is a silvery-white, low density, reasonably strong metal that tarnishes in air to form a thin oxide coating. ... When it burns in air, magnesium produces a brilliant white light.