Supreme Quality CAS No 7786-30-3 Magnesium Chloride Anhydrous (MgCl2)

Magnesium chloride   is the name for the   chemical compound   with the   formula   MgCl ₂   and its various   hydrates   MgCl ₂ (H ₂ O) _x . Anhydrous MgCl ₂   contains 25.5% elemental magnesium by mass. 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.
 

Several hydrates are known with the formula MgCl ₂ (H ₂ O) _x , and each loses water at higher temperatures:   x   = 12 (−16.4 °C), 8 (−3.4 °C), 6 (116.7 °C), 4 (181 °C), 2 (about 300 °C).   In the hexahydrate, the Mg ²⁺   is also   octahedral , but is coordinated to six water   ligands .   The thermal dehydration of the hydrates MgCl ₂ (H ₂ O) _x   ( x   = 6, 12) does not occur straightforwardly.     Anhydrous MgCl ₂   is produced industrially by heating the chloride salt of hexammine complex [Mg(NH ₃ ) ₆ ] ²⁺ .

As suggested by the existence of some hydrates, anhydrous MgCl ₂   is a   Lewis acid , although a weak one.

In the   Dow process , magnesium chloride is regenerated from magnesium hydroxideby acid:

It can also be prepared from   magnesium carbonate   by a similar reaction.

Derivatives with tetrahedral Mg ²⁺   are less common. Examples include salts of ( N(C ₂ H ₅ ) ₄ ) ₂ MgCl ₄   and   adducts   such as MgCl ₂ ( TMEDA ).