Magnesium chloride is the name for the chemical compound with the formula MgCl2. These salts are typical ionic halides, being highly soluble in water. The hydrated magnesium chloride can be extracted from brine or sea water. In North America, magnesium chloride is produced primarily from Great Salt Lake brine. It is extracted in a similar process from the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley. Magnesium chloride, as the natural mineral bischofite, is also extracted (by solution mining) out of ancient seabeds, for example, the Zechstein seabed in northwest Europe. Some magnesium chloride is made from solar evaporation of seawater. Anhydrous magnesium chloride is the principal precursor to magnesium metal, which is produced on a large scale. Hydrated magnesium chloride is the form most readily available.
The chemical equation shows how the molecule of magnesium chloride was produced in the lab.
2 Mg (s) + 2 HCl → MgCl2(aq) + H2
Magnesium chloride is used for low-temperature de-icing of highways. Magnesium chloride helps to prevent the ice bond, allowing snow plows to clear the roads more efficiently. Magnesium chloride is used in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical preparations. Magnesium chloride is an important coagulant used in the preparation of tofu from soy milk. It is also an ingredient in baby formula milk.
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