Who Discovered Magnesium?

Magnesium is found in the Earth, in the stars, and in everything that lives. Joseph Black discovered it in 1755.

Many times in science, one person will discover or invent something, but it is another individual that will make it practical or usable. There are three individuals who had a major role in the discovery of magnesium and the discovery of how to isolate it into its own element:

• Joseph Black - In 1755 Joseph Black found out that magnesium was its own compound. He was born in Scotland and began attending Glasgow University in 1744 to study arts. His father later convinced him to study something more practical, so he picked medicine. In 1766 he was the head of the chemistry and medicine departments at Glasgow. In 1755, he examined the two compounds of magnesia and lime (calcium carbonate), which some people thought were the same thing, and discovered they were different. The experiment also produced carbon dioxide, a discovery for which he is much better known.
• Sir Humphry Davy - Sir Humphrey Davy (1778–1829), isolated magnesium into its own element in 1808. He is probably best known for discovering magnesium. This is probably because he was able to isolate it and that made it useful. He applied electrolysis to a mixture of magnesium oxide and mercuric oxide. Then he heated the compound in a tube to drive off the mercury, which left pure magnesium behind. The same year, he also discovered barium, strontium, boron, and calcium.
• Antoine A.B. Bussy - Bussy was a French chemist who discovered a way to isolate magnesium in large quantities. He heated magnesium chloride and potassium in a glass tube. This made potassium chloride which he then washed out of the tube, and that left small globules of magnesium. He is also credited with isolating beryllium.

Magnesium

Magnesium's atomic symbol is Mg and it is the eighth-most plentiful element in the Earth's crust. Its ions are essential in all living things and it is the second-most plentiful ion in seawater. It conducts heat and electricity well, and has other uses, from being used as antacids to creating the bright light in fireworks.

Most of the magnesium used in the United States is obtained by electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride, which is found in sea water, brines, or wells. 

Uses of Magnesium

Magnesium is necessary for over 300 processes in your body. It helps practically everything work better: bones, digestion, muscles, and nerves. If you don't have enough magnesium, you may suffer from fatigue, muscle weakness and migraines. More serious conditions include:

• High blood pressure
• Asthma
• Osteoporosis
• Glaucoma
• Less effective immune system

Half of your body's magnesium is found in your bones, with most of the rest found in cells, and 1% is in your blood.

Magnesium is also important for plants. It is an essential element in the chlorophyll molecule. So, in gardening and agriculture, magnesium sulfate can be used to enrich soil that is magnesium deficient.

Because it gives off a bright light when burned, magnesium is used in pyrotechnics such as fireworks, flares, and incendiary bombs. It is also added to rocket and missile fuels. Magnesium is also a component of flash light powders used in photography.

Another important use of magnesium is preventing corrosion of steel and iron. This is especially useful in pipelines and the bottom of ships; these materials are electrically plated with magnesium. Magnesium oxidizes quickly, and iron oxidizes slowly. It is this fact that prevents the iron from rusting and corroding. Since it is lighter than aluminum, it is useful as an alloy. It makes other metals lighter and more easily welded, machined or cast.

Structurally, it is used in aircraft, wheels, engine parts, and missiles. Magnesium is used in computers for radio-frequency shielding. Aluminum is alloyed with magnesium to make beverage cans.