Anhydrous magnesium chloride electrolysis

Eventually, much to the consternation of Davy, the name magnesium was adopted for the metal in magnesia alba and manganese for the metal in pyrolusite. Michael Faraday produced magnesium metal in 1833 by the electrolysis of fused anhydrous magnesium chloride. 

Magnesium metal is produced primarily by either thermal or electrochemical processes. The thermal process operates at temperatures over 1200°C and utilizes a metallothermic reduction in which magnesium metal volatilizes from MgO and is condensed to recover the metal. The electrochemical process is based on the electrolysis of fused anhydrous magnesium chloride. 

Price advantage for magnesium amounting to up to one third over sodium, can be expected when recycling anhydrous magnesium chloride on a sufficiently lar e scale through fusion electrolysis cell, which also yields a usable chlorine... 

The production of anhydrous magnesium chloride from the hydrate is of great industrial importance, since nearly all metallic magnesium is made from the melted anhydrous chloride by electrolysis. It is an operation of considerable difficulty and illustrates both the ease of hydrolysis and the great energy of hydration of this salt. 

Metallurgy. — The metals of most of the cerium group elements have been prepared, three general methods having been used t (1) fusion of the anhydrous halides with sodium, potassium, calcium, or aluminium (2) electrolysis of the fused chlorides or of a solution of the oxide in the molten fluoride (3) heating the oxides with magnesium, calcium, or silicon. Reduction with aluminium has also been tried, but it is not satisfactory except possibly for cerium itself. Electrolysis has been the most successful, the other methods usually giving at best an alloy. 

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