Magnesium sulfate sanderite are rare. Kieserite is a monohydrate and is common among evaporitic deposits. Anhydrous magnesium sulfate was reported from some burning coal dumps. Double salts containing magnesium sulfate exist, for example there are several known sodium magnesium sulfates and potassium magnesium sulfates. An abnormally elevated plasma concentration of magnesium is called hypermagnesemia. Magnesium sulfate Magnesium sulfate is an inorganic salt with the formula MgSO(HO) where 0≤x≤7. It is often encountered as the heptahydrate sulfate mineral epsomite (MgSO·7HO), commonly called Epsom salt. The overall global annual usage in the mid-1970s of the monohydrate was 2.3 million tons, of which the majority
Magnesium ions interact with polyphosphate compounds such as ATP, DNA, and RNA. Hundreds of enzymes require magnesium ions to function. Magnesium compounds are used medicinally as common laxatives, antacids (e.g., milk of magnesia), and to stabilize abnormal nerve excitation or blood vessel spasm in such conditions as eclampsia. Elemental magnesium is a gray-white lightweight metal, two-thirds the density of aluminium. It tarnishes slightly when exposed to air, although, unlike the heavier alkaline earth metals, an oxygen-free environment is unnecessary for storage because magnesium is protected by a thin layer of oxide that is fairly impermeable and difficult to remove. Magnesium has