Chem4Kids.com: Magnesium: Say It

MAG-NE-SIUM

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As we move across the third row of the periodic table, we find magnesium in the number two position. Humans have used magnesium, like many other simple elements, for hundreds of years. It wasn't until 1808 that a chemist named Davy isolated and purified the metal. The reason it took so long to isolate magnesium is that it is always found with other elements in nature.

Located in the second column of the periodic table, magnesium is in the family of alkali earth metals with calcium and beryllium. When purified, magnesium is a very light and silvery metal. Its lightness makes it perfect for use in many other metal alloys to increase strength without increasing the weight of the structure.

Magnesium is also an important element in your diet. Both you and plants need magnesium to live and be healthy. It is called a trace metal.

RELATED LINKS

- Chem4Kids: Periodic Table
- Chem4Kids: Alkaline Earth Metals
- Chem4Kids: Beryllium
- Chem4Kids: Chemical Bonds
- Geography4Kids: Composition of Earth
- Biology4Kids: Animal Systems

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