MgCl2
Magnesium chloride · Magnesium dichloride
Magnesium chloride is a stable, insulating salt widely used as a precursor for magnesium metal production and in diverse industrial chemical applications.
About Magnesium chloride
Magnesium chloride is a robust, thermodynamically stable inorganic salt characterized by its wide-band-gap insulating electronic profile. Its structural versatility is evidenced by the extensive variety of crystalline arrangements reported in scientific literature, reflecting its fundamental role in solid-state chemistry.
This compound serves as a critical precursor in the production of magnesium metal and acts as a vital component in various industrial processes. Its chemical stability and predictable reactivity make it an essential material for applications ranging from chemical manufacturing to environmental management.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Magnesium chloride, aggregated across 3 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.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for MgCl2, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 5.62 | 0.0000 | -4.031 | 2.28 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | 5.57 | 0.0006 | -4.031 | 2.31 |
| P-4m2 (No. 115) | tetragonal | 4.98 | 0.0838 | -3.948 | 1.80 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | triclinic | 5.23 | 0.1218 | -3.909 | 1.12 |
| Pmma (No. 51) | orthorhombic | 4.47 | 0.1418 | -3.889 | 2.09 |
| Ama2 (No. 40) | orthorhombic | 3.59 | 0.1991 | -3.832 | 1.99 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.64 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 2.45 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | Trigonal | — | — | — | 2.06 |
| P-4m2 (No. 115) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 1.80 |
| P-4m2 (No. 115) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 1.86 |
| P-4m2 (No. 115) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 1.86 |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting MgCl2.
Applications
Where Magnesium chloride is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Magnesium chloride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is MgCl2?
Magnesium chloride is a stable, insulating salt widely used as a precursor for magnesium metal production and in diverse industrial chemical applications.
What is MgCl2 used for?
What is the band gap of MgCl2?
Is MgCl2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is MgCl2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of MgCl2?
What is the density of MgCl2?
How many polymorphs of MgCl2 are known?
How is MgCl2 synthesized?
What elements does MgCl2 contain?
Where does the data for MgCl2 come from?
How It Compares
As a highly stable and well-documented inorganic salt, magnesium chloride serves as a benchmark for ionic halides, representing a fundamental structural archetype within its chemical class.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
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