Magnesium hydroxide

brucite

Description

A white amorphous powder that occurs in nature as the mineral Brucite. An aqueous slurry of magnesium hydroxide produces a solution with a pH of 10. Magnesium hydroxide is used as an antacid and laxative. It is also used in the manufacture of paper pulp.

Raman

Chemical structure

Synonyms and Related Terms

magnesium hydrate; milk of magnesia; magnesia magma; Magnesiumhydroxid (Deut.); hidróxido de magnesio (Esp.)

Risks

• Ingestion produces a laxative effect.
• Contact may cause irritation.
• Noncombustible.
• Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

Soluble in dilute acids and ammonium salt solutions. Insoluble in water.

Composition	Mg(OH)2
CAS	1309-42-8
Melting Point	350 C (dec)
Density	2.36 g/ml
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 58.34

Resources and Citations

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• The Merck Index, Susan Budavari (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Whitehouse Station, NJ, 12th Edition, 1996 Comment: entry 5706

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993