Magnesium sulfate

Magnesium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate hexahydrate
Anhydrous magnesium sulfate
Epsomite (Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate)
Names
IUPAC name
Magnesium sulfate
Other names
  • Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate)
  • English salt
  • Bitter salts
  • Bath salt
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
ECHA InfoCard 100.028.453
EC Number
  • 231-298-2
KEGG
RTECS number
  • OM4500000
UNII
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
  • InChI=1S/Mg.H2O4S/c;1-5(2,3)4/h;(H2,1,2,3,4)/q+2;/p-2 Y
    Key: CSNNHWWHGAXBCP-UHFFFAOYSA-L Y
  • InChI=1/Mg.8H2O4S/c;1-5(2,3)4/h;(H2,1,2,3,4)/q+2;/p-2
    Key: CSNNHWWHGAXBCP-NUQVWONBAQ
SMILES
  • [Mg+2].[O-]S([O-])(=O)=O
Properties
MgSO4
Molar mass
  • 120.366 g/mol (anhydrous)
  • 138.38 g/mol (monohydrate)
  • 174.41 g/mol (trihydrate)
  • 210.44 g/mol (pentahydrate)
  • 228.46 g/mol (hexahydrate)
  • 246.47 g/mol (heptahydrate)
Appearance white crystalline solid
Odor odorless
Density
  • 2.66 g/cm3 (anhydrous)
  • 2.445 g/cm3 (monohydrate)
  • 1.68 g/cm3 (heptahydrate)
  • 1.512 g/cm3 (undecahydrate)
Melting point
  • decomposes
  • 1,124 °C (2,055 °F) (anhydrous)
  • 200 °C (392 °F) (monohydrate)
  • 150 °C (302 °F) (heptahydrate)
  • 2 °C (36 °F) (undecahydrate)
  • anhydrous
  • 26.9 g/100 mL @ 0 °C (32 °F)
  • 35.1 g/100 mL @ 20 °C (68 °F)
  • 50.2 g/100 mL @ 100 °C (212 °F)

  • heptahydrate
  • 113 g/100 mL @ 20 °C (68 °F)
738 (502 g/L)
Solubility in diethyl ether 1.16 g/100 mL @ 18 °C (64 °F)
Solubility in ethanol slight
Solubility in glycerol slight
Magnetic susceptibility (χ)
−50×10−6 cm3/mol
  • 1.523 (monohydrate)
  • 1.433 (heptahydrate)
Structure
monoclinic (hydrate)
Pharmacology
A06AD04 (WHO) A12CC02 (WHO) B05XA05 (WHO) D11AX05 (WHO) V04CC02 (WHO)
Related compounds
Other cations
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N verify (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Magnesium sulfate or magnesium sulphate is a chemical compound, a salt with the formula MgSO4, consisting of magnesium cations Mg2+ (20.19% by mass) and sulfate anions SO2−4. It is a white crystalline solid, soluble in water.

Magnesium sulfate is usually encountered in the form of a hydrate MgSO4·nH2O, for various values of n between 1 and 11. The most common is the heptahydrate MgSO4·7H2O,[1] known as Epsom salt, which is a household chemical with many traditional uses, including bath salts.[2]

The main use of magnesium sulfate is in agriculture, to correct soils deficient in magnesium (an essential plant nutrient because of the role of magnesium in chlorophyll and photosynthesis). The monohydrate is favored for this use; by the mid 1970s, its production was 2.3 million tons per year.[3] The anhydrous form and several hydrates occur in nature as minerals, and the salt is a significant component of the water from some springs.

  1. ^ Connor, Nick (24 July 2023). "Magnesium Sulfate | Formula, Properties & Application". Material Properties. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Quick Cures/Quack Cures: Is Epsom Worth Its Salt?". The Wall Street Journal. 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. ^ Büchel, Karl Heinz; Moretto, Hans-Heinrich; Woditsch, Peter (2008). Industrial Inorganic Chemistry (2. vollständig überarbeitete Auflage ed.). Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-61333-5.