Magnesium aluminide is an

intermetallic compound An intermetallic (also called an intermetallic compound, intermetallic alloy, ordered intermetallic alloy, and a long-range-ordered alloy) is a type of metallic alloy that forms an ordered solid-state compound between two or more metallic ele ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ...

and

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in AmE, American and CanE, Canadian English) is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately o ...

. Common phases (molecular structures) include the beta phase (Mg₂Al₃) and the gamma phase (Mg₁₇Al₁₂), which both have cubic crystal structures. Magnesium aluminides are important constituents of 5XXX aluminium alloys (aluminium-magnesium) and magnesium-aluminium alloys, determining many of their engineering properties. Due to the advantage of low density and being strong, magnesium aluminide is important for aircraft engines. MgAl has also been investigated for use as a

reactant In chemistry, a reagent ( ) or analytical reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or test if one occurs. The terms ''reactant'' and ''reagent'' are often used interchangeably, but reactant specifies a ...

to produce

metal hydride In chemistry, a hydride is formally the anion of hydrogen( H−). The term is applied loosely. At one extreme, all compounds containing covalently bound H atoms are called hydrides: water (H2O) is a hydride of oxygen, ammonia is a hydride of ...

s in

hydrogen storage Hydrogen storage can be accomplished by several existing methods of holding hydrogen for later use. These include mechanical approaches such as using high pressures and low temperatures, or employing chemical compounds that release H2 upon demand ...

technology. Like many intermetallics, MgAl compounds often have unusual stoichiometries with large and complex unit cells.

References

* Alloys Aluminides Magnesium compounds {{inorganic-compound-stub