Magnesium sulfite is the
magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), 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 ...
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
of
sulfurous acid
Sulfuric(IV) acid (United Kingdom spelling: sulphuric(IV) acid), also known as sulfurous (UK: sulphurous) acid and thionic acid, is the chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula .
Raman spectroscopy, Raman spectra of solutions o ...
with the formula . Its most common hydrated form has 6 water molecules making it a
hexahydrate
In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...
, ·6. When heated above , it is dehydrated to magnesium sulfite
trihydrate, or ·3. The anhydrous form is
hygroscopic
Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption (chemistry), absorption or adsorption from the surrounding Natural environment, environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water mol ...
, meaning that it readily absorbs water from the air.
Solubility tables of MgSO
3 hydrates PDF:
H.D.Lutz, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Slegen.
See also
* Calcium sulfite
*Magnesium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate or magnesium sulphate is a chemical compound, a salt with the formula , consisting of magnesium cations (20.19% by mass) and sulfate anions . It is a white crystalline solid, soluble in water but not in ethanol.
Magnesi ...
(Epsom salt)
References
{{Sulfites
Magnesium compounds
Sulfites