Mg
Magnesium · element 12
Alkaline Earth Metal · Solid at room temperature
Magnesium is a chemical element with symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray solid which bears a close physical resemblance to the other five elements in the second column (Group 2, or alkaline earth metals) of the periodic table:they each have the same electron configuration in their outer electron shell producing a similar crystal structure. Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element in the universe.
Key facts
Atomic mass
24.305 u
how heavy one atom is
Phase (room temp.)
Solid
Density
1.738 g/cm³
how tightly packed it is
Melting point
923 K (650 °C)
when solid turns to liquid
Boiling point
1363 K (1090 °C)
when liquid turns to gas
Period
3
its row in the periodic table
Group
2
its column in the periodic table
Block
S-block
the neighbourhood it lives in
Electronegativity
1.31
how strongly it pulls electrons
Electron configuration
[Ne] 3s2
where its electrons live
Shells
2 · 8 · 2
electrons in each layer, inside to out
Discovered by
Joseph Black
who found it
Appearance
shiny grey solid
what it looks like
Source: Wikipedia