Industrial smelting of magnesium why use magnesium chloride rather than magnesium oxide

The melting point of magnesium chloride is lower than that of magnesium oxide, and it is more energy-saving to use magnesium chloride as raw material to prepare magnesium.

The principle of magnesium electrolysis is to electrolyze molten anhydrous magnesium chloride at high temperature to decompose it into magnesium metal and chlorine gas. The effect of water on the nature of the molten salt at high temperatures is fatal, therefore, high purity anhydrous magnesium chloride is the key to electrolytic magnesium production.

Based on the raw materials used and different methods of processing raw materials, electrolytic refining of magnesium can be subdivided into the following specific methods: Dowu method, carnallite method, magnesium chloride chlorination, AMC method, Noske method.

Extended information

In 1808, the scientist David with mercury as the cathode electrolysis of magnesium oxide, in the history of mankind for the first time to produce magnesium metal. 18 century 30s, Faraday for the first time through the electrolysis of magnesium chloride to get the metal magnesium. Before the beginning of the First World War, France, Germany, Britain and Canada all realized the industrial production of magnesium, but the production was limited, about a few hundred tons per year, mainly used for military purposes.

In the 1880s, only by Germany first established industrial scale electrolysis tank, electrolysis of anhydrous carnallite production of magnesium metal, from the beginning of the electrolysis method of magnesium refining industrialization era. After the continuous improvement in the process and equipment, until now the world is using this electrolysis method.

To magnesite as raw material, with molten salt electrolysis method of magnesium production of magnesium metal. The use of magnesite as raw material not only for electrolysis to provide high-quality magnesium raw materials, but also the use of electrolysis of magnesium by-products of chlorine gas.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Magnesium Chloride

Baidu Encyclopedia-Magnesium Oxide