Magnesium Sulfate Formula – Structure, Properties, Uses, Sample Questions

Magnesium is a chemical that appears in gray solid. It is a mineral that’s crucial to the body’s function. It as symbol Mg and atomic number 12. Magnesium plays important role in over 300 enzyme reactions in the human body. Magnesium naturally presents in a variety of foods, also available as a supplement, ingredient in antacids and laxatives.

Sulfate also Sulphate is ion, a salt of sulfuric acid with molar mass of 96.06 g/mol. Sulfate is soluble in water, divalent anion produced by the oxidation of elemental sulfur, organic sulfur. The empirical formula of sulfate is SO₄^2-. Epsom salt is MgSO₄· 7H₂O commonly found in its heptahydrate form. It’s a synthetic compound comprised of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. It gets its name from the town of Epsom in Surrey, England.

Magnesium Sulfate Formula 

The chemical formula of Magnesium sulfate is MgSO₄. Magnesium sulfate molecule is composed of a magnesium atom, a sulfur atom, and four oxygen atoms. Magnesium sulfate is also referred to as Epsom salt. It is an inorganic salt that exhibits high solubility in water and is insoluble in alcohol.

Magnesium Sulphate appears in a white crystalline solid with a molar mass of 120.366 g/mol. The formula of Magnesium sulfate is MgSO₄, as magnesium cation Mg²⁺ and sulfate anion SO₄^2-. It is also called bath salt, which is used to treat sore muscles. The molecular formula of Epsom salt is MgSO₄· 7H₂O commonly found in its heptahydrate form.

Structure of Magnesium Sulfate

An ionic bond act as a strong electrostatic attractive force between the magnesium ion and sulphate ion. The central sulfur atom is attached to four oxygen atoms through Atwo single, two double bonds. MgSO₄ adopts an orthorhombic crystalline structure.

Physical Properties of Magnesium Sulfate

1. It appears in white crystalline solid.
2. Magnesium sulfate is more soluble in water.
3. It is odorless but bitter in taste.
4. It as density of 2.66 g/cm³.
5. It as molar mass of 120.366 g/mol.
6. Temperature of water increases with its increase in solubility.
7. Its melting point is 1124˚C.

Chemical Properties of Magnesium Sulfate

Chemical properties of magnesium sulfate, chemical reactions to form magnesium sulfate with the action of sulfuric acid on magnesium oxide, 

MgO + H₂SO₄ ⇢ MgSO₄ + H₂O

On magnesium hydroxide and, 

Mg(OH)₂ + H₂SO₄ ⇢ MgSO₄ + 2H₂O

On magnesium carbonate, 

MgCO₃ + H₂SO₄ ⇢ MgSO₄ + CO₂ + H₂O

Uses of Magnesium Sulfate

1. It is used in production of beer as a brewing salt.
2. It increases the magnesium and sulfur richness in the soil.
3. It has many medical uses such as in bathing salts, muscle relaxants, beauty products.
4. It helps in pregnancy-related complications.
5. It can help prevent seizures associated with preeclampsia.
6. It acts as coagulant in making of tofu.

Health effects/safety hazards of Magnesium Sulphate

• High concentrations can cause a condition called hypermagnesemia.
• Magnesium sulfate releases fumes of sulfur oxides which are toxic and corrosive when it decomposes heated.
• Magnesium sulfate is commonly used as a laxative to relieve constipation.
• Direct contact with magnesium sulfate, especially in high concentrations, may cause skin irritation, redness, and itching.
• Some individuals may be allergic to magnesium sulfate, leading to allergic reactions such as rash, hives, itching,
• Inhalation of magnesium sulfate dust or aerosols may irritate the respiratory tract, leading to coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath.

Check: Magnesium Hydroxide Formula

Hydrates of Magnesium Sulphates

Hydrates of magnesium sulfates are compounds that contain magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) molecules combined with water molecules (H2O) in specific ratios.

Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate (MgSO4·7H2O):

• Also known as Epsom salt or Epsomite.
• It is the most well-known hydrate of magnesium sulfate.
• It occurs naturally as a mineral and is commonly used in baths for relaxation and as a laxative.

Magnesium Sulfate Hexahydrate (MgSO4·6H2O):

• This hydrate is less common but still encountered in some applications.
• It has similar properties to magnesium sulfate heptahydrate but contains one less water molecule per magnesium sulfate unit.

Magnesium Sulfate Pentahydrate (MgSO4·5H2O):

• This hydrate is less stable than the heptahydrate form.
• It can form under specific conditions but is not as commonly encountered as the heptahydrate.

Magnesium Sulfate Monohydrate (MgSO4·H2O):

• This hydrate is less common and tends to lose its water content more readily than the higher hydrates.
• It is used in some industrial applications and laboratory processes.

Double salts

Double salts are compounds that contain two different cations or two different anions, or both, and are held together by ionic bonds.

Here are some key points about double salts:

Composition: Double salts consist of two distinct types of ions, which may be cations, anions, or both. These ions are combined in fixed stoichiometric ratios.

Formation: Double salts are formed when two different salts are dissolved together in a solution and crystallize out simultaneously, resulting in a compound with properties distinct from its constituents.

Examples: Common examples of double salts include alum, which is a double sulfate of aluminum and another metal, and Mohr’s salt, a double salt of ammonium sulfate and ferrous sulfate.

Properties: Double salts may exhibit properties of both constituent salts and often have unique properties arising from their specific composition and crystal structure.

Uses: Double salts have various applications in industry, agriculture, and medicine. For example, alum is used in water purification, as a mordant in dyeing, and in baking powder, while Mohr’s salt is used in analytical chemistry for volumetric analysis.

Check:

• Difference between Cation and Anion
• Stoichiometry and Stoichiometric Calculations
• Magnesium Oxide Formula
• Sulphate Ion Formula

Magnesium Sulfate FAQs

Is Epsom salt and magnesium sulfate something very similar?

Epsom salt is otherwise called magnesium sulfate. It’s a synthetic compound comprised of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. It gets its name from the town of Epsom in Surrey, England, where it was initially found. Regardless of its name, Epsom salt is something else altogether than table salt.

Magnesium Sulfate hydrate as a Mineral? 

Yes, magnesium sulfate hydrate occurs naturally as a mineral called epsomite or Epsom salt. It forms in evaporite deposits and is used in baths and as a laxative.

Who shouldn’t accept magnesium sulfate?

Try not to utilize magnesium sulfate as a diuretic without clinical counsel assuming you have: extreme stomach torment, sickness, regurgitating, a punctured gut, an inside hindrance, serious blockage, colitis, harmful megacolon, or an unexpected change in entrail propensities that has endured fourteen days or longer.

What are advantages of magnesium glycinate?

Magnesium glycinate has been displayed to have an assortment of advantages, including serving to:

• Relieve uneasiness.
• Advance bone wellbeing.
• Oversee glucose in individuals with diabetes and may bring down the gamble of creating type 2 diabetes.
• Keep up with ordinary heart rhythms.
• Lessen side effects of premenstrual condition (PMS).

What is normal use for magnesium sulfate?

In medication as a mineral enhancement used to forestall and treat low measures of magnesium in the blood. A few brands are likewise used to treat side effects of a lot of stomach acid, for example, stomach upset, indigestion, and corrosive acid reflux.

Magnesium sulfate injection side effects?

Side effects of magnesium sulfate injection include heart disturbances, breathing difficulties, poor reflexes, confusion, weakness, flushing, redness, or tingly feeling, sweating, lowered blood pressure.

Where are Magnesium sulfates found?

Magnesium sulfates are universal minerals found in the earth crust. Most of their events are connected to supergene processes. Some of them are additionally key parts of deposits of evaporitic potassium-magnesium (K-Mg) salts.