If you are going to make pyrotechnic samples one of your hobbies, then the first thing you will face is the problem of finding the necessary components for your work. And the most pressing question is where to get magnesium? We will give a detailed answer to it, simultaneously analyzing all the unique features of this element.
Important About Magnesium
First of all, get to know him. Magnesium is one of the common elements of the Mendeleev table. It occupies 2% of the composition of the earth's crust - this is the seventh place among other components. Its salts can be found in sea waters, sediments of self-sustaining lakes.
More than 200 natural compounds containing magnesium are also known. However, in industry, dolomite, magnesite and carnallite are mainly used as raw materials. Their deposits were formed by sedimentary in the Precambrian period. The largest deposits are located in the Russian Federation, USA, and China.
It is a light white-silver metal. It is characterized by bright burning of a white hue with the release of a large amount of thermal energy.
How to determine magnesium?
Finding out where to get magnesium, it is important to know its distinctive features, so as not to confuse this metal with any other.
The main features are as follows:
- Little weight. Magnesium, for example, is twice as light as aluminum. So if you have a part that is amazingly weightless for its size, then perhaps it is made of magnesium.
- Interaction with acids. When you find a place to take magnesium, be sure to bring 9 percent vinegar and sandpaper with you. Strip the surface of the part found with a “skin” and drip a small amount of vinegar on it. Magnesium will show itself by the release of hydrogen.
- Combustion. File a bit of shavings from the part found, then set it on fire. If the sawdust burned quickly, leaving behind a characteristic white precipitate, then you definitely found the desired one.
Application
Magnesium powder is primarily used in the military and pyrotechnic industries. It is necessary to create flammable dry mixes. Due to the bright white flame, it is indispensable for lighting rockets, white fireworks.
It is widely used in chemical experimental practice, as it is an active reducing agent in both organic and inorganic reactions. It is also used in the production of hydrogen in laboratories.
Output
Those who are looking for where to get magnesium metal will be interested to know in what forms it is supplied by manufacturers. Basically, it is shavings or powder. Available in accordance with GOST 6001-79. According to the standard, the magnesium content in all forms should not be less than 99%. The proportion of absorbed water in this case is not more than 0.01%.
There are four main brands: MPF-1, MPF-2, MPF-3, MPF-4. Their differences are only in the size of magnesium granules.
Since the powder is highly reactive, it is supplied in a sealed tin container that does not allow air to pass through. This is a prerequisite for storage, since its interaction with oxygen can lead to spontaneous combustion.
Buying powder or shavings
The easiest way to “mine” is to buy or order an item. Where to get magnesium powder? You can find a store in your city or order mail delivery of powder or shavings to your home.
Today, magnesium is not only sold in bulk industrial containers. You can easily order it in a container of any packaging suitable for you. So, for example, 1 kg of magnesium powder will cost you, on average, 300 rubles.
It is possible to make a purchase in the online stores Alibaba, Ruskhim, Russian Metal, BVB Alliance, Shilanet and others.
Where to get magnesium at home?
It is not necessary to spend money on acquiring an element for your experiments. Inspect your home, garden, courtyard, attic, or repository of old tools. There you can find "raw materials" for free. Let’s show you where to get magnesium:
- The snail of the old Friendship chainsaw - the element is 80% magnesium alloy.
- The engine of the car "Zaporozhets". The composition of its cover and cylinder block is a magnesium alloy.
- Magnesium anodes for the boiler. If you did not find them at home, it is easy to buy items in building materials and household appliances stores.
- Metal pencil sharpeners. If you do not have such accessories of your own, you can buy them at a stationery for a small price.
- Any parts bearing the inscription MG-90.
You can contact the scrap collection point. Find out about the presence of magnesium and, just in case, aluminum - collectors often confuse them.
Industrial mining
The main way to obtain magnesium in production is the electrolytic smelting of anhydrous magnesium chloride in an electrolysis bath. So there is a splitting of its salts into ions of chlorine and metal. From time to time, pure magnesium rises from the bath and new raw materials are launched instead.
This method is characterized by the presence of impurities, so magnesium passes through additional purification. This is electrolytic refining in vacuum conditions with special additives - fluxes. The latter draw impurities onto themselves, as a result of which almost pure magnesium is released (the content of impurities is not more than 0.0001%).
The thermal method is also relevant. High temperature conditions are created in which a chemical reaction of magnesium oxide with silicon or coke takes place. As a result, highly purified magnesium is formed from dolomite (feedstock) without going through the stage of separation into salts (calcium and magnesium) and purification. With this method, sea water can also become a source of metal extraction.
Now we are in the know where to get magnesium in industrial and home conditions. Element for independent experiments can also be bought or ordered.