·
CAS Number 7487-88-9
·
Empirical Formula (Hill Notation) MgSO4
·
Molecular Weight 120.37
·
EC Number 231-298-2
·
MDL number MFCD00011110
·
PubChem Substance ID 329817908
Magnesium sulfate is an inorganic salt (chemical compound) containing magnesium, sulfur and oxygen, with the formula MgSO4. It is often encountered
as the heptahydrate sulfate mineral epsomite (MgSO4·7H2O),
commonly called Epsom salt.
The monohydrate, MgSO4·H2O is found as the mineral kieserite. The overall global annual usage in the mid-1970s of the
monohydrate was 2.3 million tons, of which the majority was used in
agriculture.
Detailed description
Anhydrous magnesium sulfate is
used as a drying agent. The anhydrous form is hygroscopic (readily absorbs
water from the air) and is therefore difficult to weigh accurately; the hydrate
is often preferred when preparing solutions (for example, in medical
preparations). Epsom salt has been traditionally used as a component of bath
salts. Epsom salt can also be used as a beauty product.
Athletes use it to soothe sore muscles, while gardeners use it to improve
crops. It has a variety of other uses: for example, Epsom salt is also
effective in the removal of splinters.[2]
It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health
system.
Uses
Medical
Magnesium sulfate is a common mineral pharmaceutical preparation of magnesium, commonly known as Epsom salt, used both externally and
internally. Magnesium sulfate is highly water-soluble and solubility is
inhibited with lipids typically used in lotions. Lotions often employ the use
of emulsions or suspensions to include both oil and water-soluble ingredients.
Hence, magnesium sulfate in a lotion may not be as freely available to migrate
to the skin nor to be absorbed through the skin, hence both studies may
properly suggest absorption or lack thereof as a function of the carrier (in a
water solution vs. in an oil emulsion/suspension). Temperature and
concentration gradients may also be contributing factors to absorption.
Epsom salt is used as bath
salts and for isolation
tanks. Magnesium sulfate is the main preparation of intravenous magnesium.
Internal uses include:
·
Replacement therapy for hypomagnesemia[4]
·
Magnesium sulfate is a antiarrhythmic
agent for torsades
de pointes in cardiac
arrest under the ECC guidelines and for managing quinidine-induced
arrhythmias.[5]
·
As a bronchodilator after beta-agonist and anticholinergic agents have been tried, e.g. in severe
exacerbations of asthma,[6]magnesium sulfate can be nebulized to reduce the symptoms of
acute asthma.[6] It is commonly administered via the intravenous route for the management of severe asthma attacks.
·
Magnesium sulfate is
effective in decreasing the risk that pre-eclampsia progresses to eclampsia.[7] IV magnesium sulfate is used to prevent and treat seizures of
eclampsia. It reduces the systolic blood pressure but doesn't alter the
diastolic blood pressure, so the blood perfusion to the fetus isn't
compromised. It is also commonly used for eclampsia where compared to diazepam or phenytoin it results in better outcomes.[8][9]
An overdose of magnesium causes hypermagnesemia.
Agriculture
In gardening and other agriculture, magnesium sulfate is used to correct a
magnesium or sulfur deficiency in soil; magnesium is an essential element in the chlorophyll molecule, and sulfur
is another important micronutrient.[10] It is most commonly
applied to potted plants, or to magnesium-hungry crops, such as potatoes, roses, tomatoes, lemon trees, carrots, and peppers. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil
amendments (such as dolomitic lime) is its high solubility, which also allows the option of foliar
feeding. Solutions of magnesium sulfate are also nearly
neutral, compared with alkaline salts of magnesium as found in limestone;
therefore, the use of magnesium sulfate as a magnesium source for soil does not
significantly change the soil pH.[11]
Food preparation
Magnesium sulfate is used as a brewing salt in beer production to adjust
the ion content of the brewing water and enhance enzyme action in the mash or
promote a desired flavor profile in the beer.
Chemistry
Anhydrous magnesium sulfate is
commonly used as a desiccant in organic synthesis
due to its affinity for water. During work-up, an organic phase
is saturated with magnesium sulfate until it no longer forms clumps. The
hydrated solid is then removed with filtration or decantation. Other inorganic
sulfate salts such as sodium
sulfate and calcium
sulfate may also be used in the same way.
Marine use
Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate is also used to
maintain the magnesium concentration in marine aquaria which contain large
amounts of stony corals, as it is slowly depleted in their calcification
process. In a magnesium-deficient marine aquarium, calcium and alkalinity
concentrations are very difficult to control because not enough magnesium is
present to stabilize these ions in the saltwater and prevent their spontaneous
precipitation into calcium carbonate.[13]
Physical properties
Magnesium sulfate is highly soluble in water. The
anhydrous form is strongly hygroscopic, and can be used as a desiccant. It is the primary substance that causes the absorption of sound in seawater[14] (acoustic
energy is converted to thermal
energy). Absorption is strongly dependent on frequency:
lower frequencies are less absorbed by the salt, so that the sound travels much
farther in the ocean. Boric
acid also contributes to absorption, but the most abundant salt in
seawater, sodium
chloride, has negligible sound absorption.
Hydrates
Almost all known mineralogical forms of MgSO4 occur as hydrates. Epsomite is the natural analogue of "Epsom
salt". Another heptahydrate, the copper-containing mineral alpersite (Mg,Cu)SO4·7H2O,[15] was recently
recognized. Both are, however, not the highest known hydrates of MgSO4,
due to the recent terrestrial find of meridianiite, MgSO4·11H2O,
which is thought to also occur on Mars. Hexahydrite is
the next lower (6) hydrate. Three next lower hydrates — pentahydrite (5), starkeyite (4)
and especially sanderite (2)
— are more rarely found. Kieserite is a monohydrate and
is common among evaporitic deposits. Anhydrous magnesium sulfate was reported
from some burning coal dumps, but was never treated as a mineral.
The pH of hydrates is average 6.0 (5.5 to 6.5).
Magnesium hydrates have water of crystallization.
PRICE
$239.42/KG OR $108.82/IB
For more information:
mobile: +2348039721941
contact person: emeaba uche
e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment