Magnesium sulfate

Magnesium Sulfate

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Magnesium sulfate

Magnesium sulfate is a chemical compound

Chemical compound

A chemical compound is a Chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical element Chemical bond together in a fixed mass ratio that can be split into simpler substances....
containing magnesium

Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
and sulfate

Sulfate

In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid....
, with the formula MgSO₄. In its hydrated form the pH is 6.0 (5.5 to 7.0). It is often encountered as the heptahydrate, MgSO₄·7H₂O, commonly called Epsom salt. Anhydrous

Anhydrous

As a general term, a substance is said to be anhydrous if it contains no water. The way of achieving the anhydrous form differs from one substance to another....
magnesium sulfate is used as a drying agent. Since the anhydrous form is hygroscopic (readily absorbs water from the air) and therefore harder to weigh accurately, the hydrate

Hydrate

Hydrate is a term used in inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry to indicate that a substance contains water. The chemical state of the water varies widely between hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understood....
is often preferred when preparing solutions, for example in medical preparations.

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Properties

Magnesium sulfate is the primary substance that causes the absorption of sound

Underwater acoustics

Underwater acoustics is the study of the propagation of sound in water and the interaction of the mechanical waves that constitute sound with the water and its boundaries....
in seawater

Seawater

Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand . This means that every 1 kg of seawater has approximately 35 grams of sea salt ....
. Absorption, in this case, means the conversion of acoustic energy to heat energy. The sound appears to be absorbed into the ocean. The conversion is a strong function of frequency, lower frequencies are less affected by the salt, so that the acoustic energy travels much further in the ocean.

Sodium chloride

Sodium chloride

Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula SodiumChlorine....
is the most common salt in the sea, but it has no effect on sound absorption. Boric acid

Boric acid

Boric acid, also called boracic acid or orthoboric acid or Acidum Boricum, is a weak acid often used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant, in nuclear power plants to control the fission rate of uranium, and as a precursor of other chemical compounds....
is the second substance found in seawater that has some effect on absorption, but it is a distant second to Magnesium sulfate.

Occurrence

Magnesium sulfates are common minerals in geological environments. Their occurrence is mostly connected with supergene

Supergene (geology)

In ore deposit geology, supergene processes or enrichment occur relatively near the surface. Supergene processes include the predominance of meteoric water circulation with concomitant Redox and chemical weathering....
processes. Some of them are also important constituents of evaporitic potassium

Potassium

Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....
-magnesium (K-Mg) salts deposits. Almost all known mineralogical forms of MgSO₄ occur as hydrates. Epsomite

Epsomite

Epsomite is a hydrous magnesium sulfate mineral with formula magnesiumsulfuroxygen4?7water or simply MgSO4. Epsomite forms as encrustations or efflorescences on limestone cavern walls and mine timbers and walls, as a volcanic fumaroles, and as rare beds in evaporite layers....
is the natural analogue of "Epsom salt," mentioned above. Another heptahydrate, the copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
-containing mineral alpersite (Mg,Cu)SO₄·7H₂O, was also recently recognized. Both are however not the highest known hydrates of MgSO₄, due to the recent terrestrial find of meridianiite, MgSO₄·11H₂O, which is thought to also occur on Mars. Hexahydrite is the next lower (6) hydrate. Three next lower hydrates - pentahydrite (5), starkeyite (4) and especially sanderite (2) are more rarely found. Kieserite

Kieserite

Kieserite is a highly unstable magnesium sulfate mineral . It has a vitreous luster and it is colourless, greyish-white or yellowish. Its hardness is 3.5 and it has a monoclinic crystal system....
is a monohydrate and is common among evaporitic deposits. Anhydrous magnesium sulfate was reported from some burning coal dumps, but never treated as a mineral.

Applications

In agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
and gardening

Gardening

Gardening is the practice of growing ornamental or useful plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance....
, magnesium sulfate is used to correct magnesium deficiency in soil

Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
(magnesium is an essential element in the chlorophyll

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from Greek language: ?????? and f????? ....
molecule). It is most commonly applied to potted plants, or to magnesium-hungry crops, such as potato

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family. The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well....
es, rose

Rose

A rose is a perennial plant flower shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colors....
s, tomato

Tomato

The Tomato is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins Nicotiana, potatoes, aubergine , chilli peppers, and the poisonous Atropa belladonna....
es, and peppers

Capsicum

Capsicum is a genus of plants from the nightshade family native to the Americas, where it was cultivated for thousands of years by the people of the tropical Americas, and is now cultivated worldwide....
. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil amendments (such as dolomitic lime

Dolomite

Dolomite is the name of a sedimentary carbonate rock and a mineral, both composed of calcium magnesium carbonate calciummagnesium2 found in crystals....
) is its high solubility

Solubility

Solubility is often seen as a property of a substance; for instance the solubility of a solid substance usually refers to the concentration of the substance in a liquid that has reached equilibrium with the substance in solid phase ....
.

Anhydrous

Anhydrous

Desiccant

A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains a state of dryness in its local vicinity in a moderately-well sealed container.Commonly encountered pre-packaged desiccants are solids, and work through absorption or adsorption of water, or a combination of the two....
in organic synthesis due to its affinity for water. During work-up

Work-up

In chemistry, work-up refers to the series of manipulations required to isolate and purify the product of a chemical reaction.Typically, these manipulations include:...
, an organic phase is saturated with magnesium sulfate until it no longer forms clumps. The hydrated solid is then removed with filtration or decantation. Other inorganic sulfate salts such as sodium sulfate

Sodium sulfate

Sodium sulfate is the sodium salt of sulfuric acid. Anhydrous, it is a white crystalline solid of formula Na2SO4 known as the mineral thenardite; the hydrate Na2SO4?10H2O has been known as Glauber's salt or, historically, sal mirabilis since the 17th century....
and calcium sulfate

Calcium sulfate

Calcium sulfate is a common laboratory and industrial chemical. In the form of ?-anhydrite , it is used as a desiccant. It is also used as a coagulant in products like tofu....
may also be used in the same way.

Magnesium sulfate is used in bath salts

Bath salts

Isolation tank

An isolation tank is a lightless, soundproof tank in which subjects float in salty water at skin temperature. They were first used by John C. Lilly in 1954 in order to test the effects of sensory deprivation....
where high concentrations raise the bath water's specific gravity

Specific gravity

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and pressure, typically at 4?C and , making it a dimensionless quantity ....
, effectively making the body more buoyant. This property is also used to restore some Lava lamp

Lava lamp

A lava lamp is a Novelties used for decoration rather than illumination; the slow chaos theory rise and fall of randomly-shaped blobs of wax is suggestive of lava, hence the name....
s damaged by being shaken by exchanging the water and adding drops of a concentrated solution until sustainable buoyancy is reached. Traditionally, it is also used to prepare foot baths, intended to soothe sore feet. The reason for the inclusion of the salt is partially cosmetic: the increase in ionic strength prevents some of the temporary skin wrinkling ("pruning" -- partial maceration) which is caused by prolonged immersion of extremities in pure water. However, magnesium sulfate can also be absorbed into the skin, reducing inflammation. It is also sometimes found in bottled mineral water, and accordingly is sometimes listed in the contents thereof. It may also be used as a coagulant for making tofu

Tofu

Tofu , also , doufu , toufu, or bean curd , is a food of China origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks....
.

Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate is also used to maintain the magnesium concentration in marine aquaria which contain large amounts of stony corals as it is slowly depleted in their calcification process. In a magnesium-deficient marine aquarium calcium and alkalinity concentrations are very difficult to control because not enough magnesium is present to stabilize these ions in the saltwater and prevent their spontaneous precipitation into calcium carbonate. It is also recommended for dropsy

Fish dropsy

Dropsy is a common disease among fresh water aquarium fish. The name is from an old name for Edema in humans....
treatment for fish.

An old remedy for diarrhea in adult chickens is 1/2 tsp per bird per day added to their feed.

Medical use

Oral magnesium sulfate, or magnesium hydroxide

Magnesium hydroxide

Magnesium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Mg2. As a suspension in water, it may be referred to as Milk of Magnesia....
, is commonly used as a saline

Saline

Saline may refer to:* Salinity - salt content of a solution** Saline water - water containing significant concentration of salts* Soil salinity - salt content of soil...
laxative

Laxative

Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the Colon for rectum and bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas in that circumstance....
. Epsom salt is also available in a gel form for topical application in treating aches and pains.

Indications for its use are

Replacement therapy for hypomagnesemia
Hypomagnesemia

Hypomagnesemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of magnesium in the blood. Usually a serum level less than 0.7 mmol/l is used as reference....
.
Magnesium sulfate is the first-line antiarrhythmic agent for Torsades de pointes
Torsades de pointes

Torsades de pointes, or simply torsades is a French language term that literally means "twisting of the points". It was first described by Dessertenne in 1966 and refers to a specific variety of ventricular tachycardia that exhibits distinct characteristics on the electrocardiogram ....
in cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest

A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during Systole ....
under the 2005 ECC guidelines as well as managing Quinidine-induced arrythmias.
As a bronchodilator
Bronchodilator

A bronchodilator is a substance that Wiktionary:dilate#Verb the Bronchus and bronchioles, decreasing airway resistance and thereby facilitating airflow....
after beta-agonist and anticholinergic
Anticholinergic

An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system....
agents have been tried, e.g. in severe exacerbations of asthma
Asthma

Asthma is a common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in which the Lung constrict, become inflammation, and are lined with excessive amounts of thickened mucus, often in response to one or more triggers....
. Recent studies have revealed that magnesium sulfate can be nebulized to reduce the symptoms of acute asthma. It is commonly administered via the intravenous route for the management of severe asthma
Asthma

Asthma is a common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in which the Lung constrict, become inflammation, and are lined with excessive amounts of thickened mucus, often in response to one or more triggers....
attacks.
Users of Epsom salt in the gel form have reported significant and lasting reduction of pain associated with fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia , meaning muscle and connective tissue pain , is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to gentle Somatosensory system ....
and osteoporosis
Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of bone fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of collagen proteins in bone is altered....
.
A 2004 research study showed that both magnesium and sulfate are absorbed through the skin when bathing in 1% solution.
Magnesium sulfate can be used to treat eclampsia
Eclampsia

Eclampsia, an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, is characterized by the appearance of tonic-clonic seizures in a patient who had developed preeclampsia; rarely does eclampsia occur without preceding preeclamptic symptoms....
in pregnant women.
Magnesium sulfate can also delay labor in the case of premature labor, to delay preterm birth.
Intravenous magnesium sulfate may be able to prevent cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive illness, non-Infectious diseases conditions that cause physical disability in Human development ....
in preterm babies.
Solutions of sulfate salts such as Epsom salt may be given as first aid for Barium chloride
Barium chloride

Barium chloride is the ionic chemical compound with the chemical formula BaCl2. It is one of the most important water-soluble salts of barium....
poisoning.
Magnesium sulfate paste has been used as an agent for dehydrating (drawing) boils, carbuncles and abscesses.
Magnesium sulfate solution has also been shown to be an effective aid in the fight against blemishes and acne when applied directly to problematic areas, usually in poultice
Poultice

A poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching, inflammation, or painful part of the body....
form.
Magnesium sulfate when used through soaking, can soothe muscle pains and help improve rough patches in the skin.
The body's magnesium level increases when soaking with magnesium sulfate which is necessary for serotonin
Serotonin

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans....
, a mood
Mood

Mood may refer to:*Mood *Grammatical mood*Mood , a city in Iran*Mood , hip hop artists*Moods ...
-regulating neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter

Neurotransmitters are chemistry which relay, amplify and modulate signals between a neuron and another cell . Neurotransmitters are packaged into vesicles that cluster beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they bind to receptors in the membrane on the postsynaptic side of...
that may increase feelings of relaxation and well-being.
Soaking in a warm bath containing Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) can be beneficial to soothe and relieve Herpes outbreak symptoms, such as itching and lesions relating to Genital Herpes and Shingles.