12 - Magnesium alkaline earth metal

Discovered by Joseph Black in 1755

  • Atomic Radius (Å)
  • Cividis
Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray solid which bears a close physical resemblance to the other five elements in the second column (Group 2, or alkaline earth metals) of the periodic table:they each have the same electron configuration in their outer electron shell producing a similar crystal structure. Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element in the universe.

H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe Cs Ba La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn Fr Ra Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
57-71 La-Lu Lanthanides
89-103 Ac-Lr Actinides
 Shell Electrons Orbitals
122 in 1s
282 in 2s + 6 in 2p
322 in 3s
MagnesiumMgElectron 1Electron 2Electron 1Electron 2Electron 3Electron 4Electron 5Electron 6Electron 7Electron 8Electron 1Electron 2
shiny grey solid Appearance
24.3  u Atomic Mass
1.5  Å Atomic Radius
1.36k  K Boiling Point
2 Group
2 Common Oxidation States
1.41  Å Covalent Radius
1.74  g/cm³ Density
−40  kJ/mol Electron Affinity
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 Electron Configuration
[Ne] 3s2 Electron Configuration (semantic)
1.31 Electronegativity
12 Electrons
7.65  eV First Ionization Energy
2 ICSD Oxidation States
737.7, 1450.7, 7732.7, 10542.5, 13630, 18020, 21711, 25661, 31653, 35458, 169988, 189368  kJ/mol Ionization Energies
923  K Melting Point
73 Mendeleev Number
24.9  J/(mol·K) Molar Heat
3 Number of Shells
2 Electron Valency
12 Neutrons
12 Atomic Number
8 Number of Isotopes
1, 2 Oxidation States
3 Period
Solid Phase
12 Protons
2, 8, 2 Electron Shell Occupations
1.02  J/(g K) Specific Heat