Magnesium oxide-hydroxide

Mag nesia. ndAlumina. Suspension. A mixture of salts, available as Maalox, Mylanta, Gelusil, and Aludrox, contains magnesium hydroxide [1309-42-8] Mg(OH)2, and variable amounts of aluminum oxide in the form of aluminum hydroxide and hydrated aluminum oxide, ie, 2.9—4.2% magnesium hydroxide and 2.0—2.4% aluminum oxide, Al O, for a mixture of 4.9—6.6% combined magnesium hydroxide and aluminum oxide. This mixture may contain a flavoring and antimicrobial agents in a total amount not to exceed 0.5% (see Aluminum compounds, aluminum oxide). 

Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate may be prepared by neutralization of sulfuric acid with magnesium carbonate or oxide, or it can be obtained directly from natural sources. It occurs abundantly as a double salt and can also be obtained from the magnesium salts that occur in brines used for the extraction of bromine (qv). The brine is treated with calcium hydroxide to precipitate magnesium hydroxide. Sulfur dioxide and air are passed through the suspension to yield magnesium sulfate (see Chemicals frombrine). Magnesium sulfate is a saline cathartic. 

Molten magnesium chloride can be formed by the direct carbochlofination of magnesium oxide obtained from the calciaation of magnesium carbonate ores or magnesium hydroxide [1309-42-8]. 

In neutral and alkaline environments, the magnesium hydroxide product can form a surface film which offers considerable protection to the pure metal or its common alloys. Electron diffraction studies of the film formed ia humid air iadicate that it is amorphous, with the oxidation rate reported to be less than 0.01 /rni/yr. If the humidity level is sufficiently high, so that condensation occurs on the surface of the sample, the amorphous film is found to contain at least some crystalline magnesium hydroxide (bmcite). The crystalline magnesium hydroxide is also protective ia deionized water at room temperature. The aeration of the water has Httie or no measurable effect on the corrosion resistance. However, as the water temperature is iacreased to 100°C, the protective capacity of the film begias to erode, particularly ia the presence of certain cathodic contaminants ia either the metal or the water (121,122). 

Preparation and Manufacture. Magnesium chloride can be produced in large quantities from (/) camalhte or the end brines of the potash industry (see Potassium compounds) (2) magnesium hydroxide precipitated from seawater (7) by chlorination of magnesium oxide from various sources in the presence of carbon or carbonaceous materials and (4) as a by-product in the manufacture of titanium (see Titaniumand titanium alloys). 

Magnesium hydroxide can also be produced by slaking or pressure hydrating various reactive grades of magnesium oxide. The reaction is highly exothermic (AH gg = —40.86 kJ/mol (—9.77 kcal/mol)) to produce crystalline form at stoichiometric water addition ... 

Uses. The principal use of magnesium hydroxide is in the pulp (qv) and paper (qv) industries (52). The main captive use is in the production of magnesium oxide, chloride, and sulfate. Other uses include ceramics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, flame retardants/smoke suppressants, and the expanding environmental markets for wastewater treatment and SO removal from waste gases (87). 

Dead Seas Periclase Ltd., on the Dead Sea in Israel, uses yet another process to produce magnesium oxide. A concentrated magnesium chloride brine processed from the Dead Sea is sprayed into a reactor at about 1700°C (127,128). The brine is thermally decomposed into magnesium oxide and hydrochloric acid. To further process the magnesia, the product is slaked to form magnesium hydroxide which is then washed, filtered, and calcined under controlled conditions to produce a variety of MgO reactivity grades. A summary of MgO purities, for the various processes is given in Table 20. 

Magnesium oxide from magnesium 100 tons/day, 50% magnesium hydroxide (2) 22 ft.,. 3 in., 10 Furnace walls of 4,5-in, firebrick, 9-in, insulation... 

Other flame retardants and/or smoke suppressants can also be used such as magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, magnesium-zinc complexes and some tin-zinc compositions. Zinc oxide is a common ingredient in many rubber base formulations used as part of the curing system. At the same time, the action of zinc oxide is similar to that of antimony trioxide, but less effective. 

Let us apply these ideas to the third-row elements. On the left side of the table we have the metallic reducing agents sodium and magnesium, which we already know have small affinity for electrons, since they have low ionization energies and are readily oxidized. It is not surprising, then, that the hydroxides of these elements, NaOH and Mg(OH)z, are solid ionic compounds made up of hydroxide ions and metal ions. Sodium hydroxide is very soluble in water and its solutions are alkaline due to the presence of the OH- ion. Sodium hydroxide is a strong base. Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2, is not very soluble in water, but it does dissolve in acid solutions because of the reaction... 

Metallic magnesium is produced by either chemical or electrolytic reduction of its compounds. In chemical reduction, first magnesium oxide is obtained from the decomposition of dolomite. Then ferrosilicon, an alloy of iron and silicon, is used to reduce the MgO at about 1200°C. At this temperature, the magnesium produced is immediately vaporized and carried away. The electrolytic method uses seawater as its principal raw material magnesium hydroxide is precipitated by adding slaked lime (Ca(OH)2, see Section 14.10), the precipitate is filtered off and treated with hydrochloric acid to produce magnesium chloride, and the dried molten salt is electrolyzed. 

Recently, several metal oxides apart from silica have been investigated and reported for mbber-based nanocomposites. Some important and commercially meaningful oxides used in rubber are zinc oxide (ZnO), magnesium hydroxide (MH), calcium carbonate, zirconate, iron oxide, etc. 

Scale prevention methods include operating at low conversion and chemical pretreatment. Acid injection to convert COs to CO2 is commonly used, but cellulosic membranes require operation at pH 4 to 7 to prevent hydrolysis. Sulfuric acid is commonly used at a dosing of 0.24 mg/L while hydrochloric acid is to be avoided to minimize corrosion. Acid addition will precipitate aluminum hydroxide. Water softening upstream of the RO By using lime and sodium zeolites will precipitate calcium and magnesium hydroxides and entrap some silica. Antisealant compounds such as sodium hexametaphosphate, EDTA, and polymers are also commonly added to encapsulate potential precipitants. Oxidant addition precipitates metal oxides for particle removal (converting soluble ferrous Fe ions to insoluble ferric Fe ions). 

Hitachi Cable Ltd. (35) has claimed that dehydrogenation catalysts, exemplified by chromium oxide—zinc oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, and aluminum oxide—manganese oxide inhibit drip and reduce flammability of a polyolefin mainly flame retarded with ATH or magnesium hydroxide. Proprietary grades of ATH and Mg(OH)2 are on the market which contain small amounts of other metal oxides to increase char, possibly by this mechanism. 

Simple Models. The surface chemical properties of clay minerals may often be interpreted in terms of the surface chemistry of the structural components, that is, sheets of tetrahedral silica, octahedral aluminum oxide (gibbsite) or magnesium hydroxide (brucite). In the discrete site model, the cation exchange framework, held together by lattice or interlayer attraction forces, exposes fixed charges as anionic sites. 

Magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide are not very soluble. They are strong bases, however, because the small amount that does dissolve dissociates almost completely into ions. Beryllium oxide is a weak base. 

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