Magnesium

Atomic number

12

Atomic mass (u)

24.305

Category

Alkaline earth metal

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

649.85 °C (923 K)

Boiling point

1089.85 °C (1363 K)

Density (g/cm³)

1.74

Electronegativity (Pauling)

1.31

Electron configuration

[Ne]3s2

Oxidation states

+2

Atomic radius (pm)

173

First ionization energy (eV)

7.646

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1808

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Joseph Black

Date or period recorded by RSC

1755

Discovery place

Edinburgh, Scotland (recognition as an element)

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, but does not occur uncombined in nature.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.