Mg
Magnesium · Magnesium metal
Magnesium is a lightweight, stable metallic element essential for structural alloys and chemical manufacturing.
About Magnesium
Magnesium is a fundamental metallic element recognized for its exceptional stability and low density. As a highly reactive alkaline earth metal, it plays a critical role in structural engineering and chemical synthesis, serving as a cornerstone material in modern metallurgy.
Its metallic character and structural versatility make it indispensable for lightweight design. Because it sits on the convex hull, it is a thermodynamically stable solid that maintains its integrity across a vast range of documented structural configurations.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Magnesium, aggregated across 5 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Mg. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Mg, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -4.169 | 1.80 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0034 | -4.166 | 1.79 |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0086 | -4.161 | 1.79 |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0302 | -4.139 | 1.79 |
| I4/mmm (No. 139) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0376 | -4.132 | 1.78 |
| Im-3m (No. 229) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0397 | -4.130 | 1.81 |
| Pmn21 (No. 31) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.1656 | -4.004 | 1.61 |
| Pmmn (No. 59) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.1774 | -3.992 | 1.61 |
| P6/mmm (No. 191) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.2365 | -3.933 | 1.64 |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | — | — | — | — | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | Trigonal | — | — | — | 1.77 |
| No. 0 | unknown | — | — | — | 0.87 |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Mg.
Applications
Where Magnesium is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Magnesium, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Mg?
Magnesium is a lightweight, stable metallic element essential for structural alloys and chemical manufacturing.
What is Mg used for?
What is the band gap of Mg?
Is Mg a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Mg thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Mg?
What is the density of Mg?
How many polymorphs of Mg are known?
How is Mg synthesized?
What elements does Mg contain?
Where does the data for Mg come from?
How It Compares
As a pure metallic element, magnesium serves as a foundational reference point for lightweight alloys and reactive chemical compounds. It is one of the most extensively studied and utilized metals in its class, providing the standard for high strength-to-weight ratio performance in engineering.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- nomad — Data from NOMAD. Cite: Draxl & Scheffler, J. Phys. Mater. 2, 036001 (2019).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
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