chemistry

Magnesium carbonate

Magnesium carbonate is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Magnesium carbonate rather than just read about it. In short: Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3 (archaic name magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a colourless or white solid. Several hydrated and basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals.

Key takeaways

Magnesium carbonate belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Magnesium carbonate to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Magnesium carbonate from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3 (archaic name magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a colourless or white solid. Several hydrated and basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals.

Forms The most common magnesium carbonate forms are the anhydrous salt called magnesite (MgCO3), and the di, tri, and pentahydrates known as barringtonite (MgCO3·2H2O), nesquehonite (MgCO3·3H2O), and lansfordite (MgCO3·5H2O), respectively. Some basic forms such as artinite (Mg2CO3(OH)2·3H2O), hydromagnesite (Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O), and dypingite (Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·5H2O) also occur as minerals. All of those minerals are colourless or white. Magnesite consists of colourless or white trigonal crystals. The anhydrous salt is practically insoluble in water, acetone, and ammonia. All forms of magnesium carbonate react with acids. Magnesite crystallizes in the calcite structure wherein Mg2+ is surrounded by six oxygen atoms.

The dihydrate has a triclinic structure, while the trihydrate has a monoclinic structure. References to "light" and "heavy" magnesium carbonates actually refer to the magnesium hydroxy carbonates hydromagnesite and dypingite, respectively. The "light" form is precipitated from magnesium solutions using alkali carbonate at "normal temperatures" while the "heavy" may be produced from boiling concentrated solutions followed by precipitation to dryness, washing of the precipitate, and drying at 100 C.

Synthesis

Laboratory route The laboratory synthesis of magnesium carbonate can be achieved by the reaction of soluble magnesium salt and sodium bicarbonate, both in separate aqueous solutions:

MgCl 2

+ ( aq ) NaHCO 3

+ ( aq ) H 2 O ⟶ MgCO 3 + NaCl + H 2 O + CO 2 {\displaystyle {\ce {MgCl2{}_{(aq)}+ NaHCO3{}_{(aq)}+ H2O->MgCO3 + NaCl + H2O + CO2}}}

If the synthesis is conducted with sodium carbonate instead of bicarbonate, a precipitate of magnesium carbonate hydroxide hydrate will be formed:

MgCl 2

+ ( aq ) Na 2 CO 3

+ ( aq ) H 2 O ⟶ Mg ( CO 3 ) ⋅ Mg ( OH ) 2 ⋅ H 2 O ↓ {\displaystyle {\ce {MgCl2{}_{(aq)}+Na2CO3{}_{(aq)}+ H2O->Mg(CO3)*Mg(OH)2*H2O v}}}

+ MgHCO 3 + H 2 O + CO 2 {\displaystyle {\ce {+ MgHCO3 + H2O + CO2}}}

Industrial route High purity industrial routes include a path through magnesium bicarbonate, which can be formed by combining a slurry of magnesium hydroxide and carbon dioxide at high pressure and moderate temperature. The bicarbonate is then vacuum dried, causing it to lose carbon dioxide and a molecule of water:

Mg ( OH ) 2 + 2 CO 2 ⟶ Mg ( HCO 3 ) 2 {\displaystyle {\ce {Mg(OH)2 + 2CO2 -> Mg(HCO3)2}}}

Mg(HCO3)2 → MgCO3 + CO2 + H2O

Chemical properties

With acids Like many common group 2 metal carbonates, magnesium carbonate reacts with aqueous acids to release carbon dioxide and water:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Magnesium carbonate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Magnesium carbonate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Magnesium carbonate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Magnesium carbonate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Magnesium carbonate

In research: Magnesium carbonate appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Magnesium carbonate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Magnesium carbonate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Antacids, Carbonates, Magnesium compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Magnesium carbonate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Magnesium carbonate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Magnesium carbonate means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Magnesium carbonate out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Magnesium carbonate in simple terms?

Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3 (archaic name magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a colourless or white solid. Several hydrated and basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals.

Why does Magnesium carbonate matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Magnesium carbonate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Magnesium carbonate.