Epsom salts

Information about Epsom salts

Magnesium sulfate
IUPAC nameMagnesium sulfate (anhydrous); Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate
Other namesEpsom salts; bitter salts
Identifiers
CAS number7487-88-9
Properties
Molecular formulaMgSO4 (anhydrous); MgSO4·7H2O
Molar mass120.415 g
Appearancewhite crystalline solid
Density2.66g/mL, solid
Melting point 1124°C decomp.
Solubility in water25.5 g/100 ml (20 °C)
Structure
Crystal structuremonoclinic (hydrate)
Related Compounds
Other cationsCalcium sulfate; Aluminium sulfate
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 C, 100 kPa)
Magnesium sulfate (or sulphate) is a chemical compound containing magnesium and sulfate, with the formula MgSO4. It is often encountered as the heptahydrate, MgSO4·7H2O, commonly called Epsom salts. Anhydrous magnesium sulfate is used as a drying agent. Since the anhydrous form is deliquescent and therefore harder to weigh accurately, the hydrate is often preferred when preparing solutions, for example in medical preparations. Epsom salts have traditionally been used as a component of bath salts.

Origin

In 1618 a farmer at Epsom in England attempted to give his cows water, but they refused to drink it due to its sour/bitter taste. However the farmer noticed that the water seemed to heal scratches and rashes. The fame of Epsom salts then began to spread.

Epsom salt was originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters at Epsom, England, and later prepared from sea water. In modern times, these salts are obtained from certain minerals such as epsomite.

Agricultural use

In agriculture and gardening, magnesium sulfate is used to correct magnesium deficiency in soil (magnesium is an essential element in the chlorophyll molecule). It is most commonly applied to potted plants, or to magnesium-hungry crops, such as potatoes, roses, tomatoes, and peppers. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil amendments (such as dolomitic lime) is its high solubility.

Medical use

Main article: Hypomagnesemia


Oral magnesium sulfate, or magnesium hydroxide, is commonly used as a saline laxative. Epsom salts are also available in a gel form for topical application in treating aches and pains.

Indications for its use are:
  • Hypomagnesemia (low magnesium concentrations in the blood)
  • As a bronchodilator after beta-agonist and anticholinergic agents have been tried, e.g. in severe exacerbations of asthma.[1] In fact, recent studies have revealed that magnesium sulfate can be nebulized to reduce the symptoms of acute asthma (Blitz et al 2005). In the UK, it is commonly administered via the intravenous route for the management of severe asthma attacks
  • A 2004 research study by Rosemary Waring at the School of Biosciences, Birmingham University, UK has shown that both magnesium and sulphate are absorbed through the skin when bathing in 1% solution.[2]
  • Magnesium sulfate is used to treat pre-eclampsia in laboring women
  • Magnesium sulfate can also delay labor in the case of premature labor, to delay Preterm birth
  • Solutions of sulfate salts such as Epsom salts may be given as first aid for barium poisoning
  • Magnesium sulfate paste has been used as an agent for drawing (dehydrating) boils and carbuncles.

Use in organic chemistry

Anhydrous magnesium sulfate is commonly used as a desiccant in organic synthesis due to its affinity for water. During workup, an organic phase is saturated with magnesium sulfate until it no longer forms clumps. The hydrated solid is then removed with filtration or decantation.

A number of other inorganic sulfate salts, sodium sulfate and calcium sulfate for example, may also be used in the same way.

Other uses

Magnesium sulfate is used as in bath salts, particularly in flotation therapy where high concentrations raise the bath water's specific gravity, effectively making the body more buoyant. This property is also used to restore some Lava lamps damaged by being shaken by exchanging the water and adding drops of a concentrated solution until sustainable buoyancy is reached. Traditionally, it is also used to prepare foot baths, intended to soothe sore feet. The reason for the inclusion of the salt is partially cosmetic: the increase in ionic strength prevents some of the temporary skin wrinkling ("pruning") which is caused by prolonged immersion of extremities in pure water. However, magnesium sulfate can also be absorbed into the skin, reducing inflammation. It is also recommended for dropsy treatment for fish.[3] It may also be used as a coagulant for making tofu.

References

1. ^ Blitz M, Blitz S, Hughes R, Diner B, Beasley R, Knopp J, Rowe BH. Aerosolized magnesium sulfate for acute asthma: a systematic review. Chest 2005;128:337-44. PMID 16002955.
2. ^ Rosemary Waring Absorption of magnesium sulphate through the skin (republished by the Epsom Salt Council), 2004
3. ^ Dropsy. www.healthybetta.com (2004). Retrieved on 2007-05-20.

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IUPAC nomenclature is a system of naming chemical compounds and of describing the science of chemistry in general. It is developed and kept up to date under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
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A chemical formula is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. A chemical formula is also a short way of showing how a chemical reaction occurs.
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Molar mass, symbol M,[1] is the mass of one mole of a substance (chemical element or chemical compound).[2] It is a physical property which is characteristic of each pure substance.
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In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V—how heavy something is compared to its size. A small, heavy object, such as a rock or a lump of lead, is denser than a lighter object of the same size or a larger object of the same weight, such as pieces of
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The melting point of a crystalline solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to liquid. Although the phrase would suggest a specific temperature and is commonly and incorrectly used as such in most textbooks and literature, most crystalline compounds
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Solubility is a physical property referring to the ability for a given substance, the solute, to dissolve in a solvent.[1] It is measured in terms of the maximum amount of solute dissolved in a solvent at equilibrium. The resulting solution is called a saturated solution.
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Water is a common chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life.[1] In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor.
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crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. A crystal structure is composed of a motif, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice. Motifs are located upon the points of a lattice, which is an array of points repeating periodically in three
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monoclinic crystal system is one of the 7 lattice point groups. A crystal system is described by three vectors. In the monoclinic system, the crystal is described by vectors of unequal length, as in the orthorhombic system. They form a rectangular prism with a parallelogram as base.
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ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, making it positively or negatively charged. A negatively charged ion, which has more electrons in its electron shells than it has protons in its nuclei, is known as an anion
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Calcium sulfate is a common laboratory and industrial chemical. In the form of γ-anhydrite (the nearly anhydrous form), it is used as a desiccant. While natural, unrefined calcium sulfate is a translucent, crystalline white rock, a form sold under the name Drierite®
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Aluminium sulfate is a widely used industrial chemical. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as alum, as it is closely related to this group of compounds. It occurs naturally as the mineral alunogenite.
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standard state of a material is its state at 1 bar (100 kilopascals exactly). This pressure was changed from 1 atm (101.325 kilopascals) by IUPAC in 1990.[1] The standard state of a material can be defined at any given temperature, most commonly 25 degrees Celsius,
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Magnesium has the symbol Mg, the atomic number 12, and an atomic mass of 24.31. Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element in the universe by mass. It constitutes about 2% of the Earth's crust by mass, and it is the third most abundant element dissolved in seawater.
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In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate (IUPAC-recommended spelling; also sulphate in British English) is a salt of sulfuric acid.

Chemical properties

The sulfate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula SO42−
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As a general term, a substance is said to be anhydrous if it contains no water. The way of achieving the anhydrous form differs from one substance to another.

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In many cases, the presence of water can prevent a reaction from happening, or form undesirable products.
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In organic chemistry, a hydrate is a compound formed by the addition of water to a host molecule. Thus ethanol could be considered to be the hydrate of ethylene.
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The name bath salts is applied to a range of soluble, usually inorganic solid products designed to be added to a bath, either to improve cleaning, provide a medical improvement, to improve the experience of bathing, or to serve as a vehicle for cosmetic agents.
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Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the water. Mineral water can often be effervescent.
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Epsom

Epsom ()

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Motto
Dieu et mon droit   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of ~3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand. This means that every 1 kg of seawater has approximately 35 grams of dissolved salts (mostly, but not entirely, the ions of sodium chloride: Na
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Epsomite is a hydrous magnesium sulfate mineral with formula MgSO4·7H2O or simply MgSO4. Epsomite forms as encrustations or efflorescences on limestone cavern walls and mine timbers and walls, as a volcanic fumaroles, and as rare beds in
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Agriculture (from Agri Latin for ager ("a field"), and culture, from the Latin cultura "cultivation" in the strict sense of "tillage of the soil". A literal reading of the English word yields "tillage of the soil of a field".
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Horticulture and Gardening

Gardening
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Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from ancient Greek: chloros = green and phyllon = leaf.
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