MgSO4

Magnesium sulfate · Epsom salt, Bitter salt

Magnesium sulfate is a stable, insulating inorganic salt widely used in agriculture, medicine, and industrial chemical processes.

MgOS
Crystal structure of MgSO4
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Magnesium sulfate

Magnesium sulfate is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound that exists as a wide-gap insulator. Its structural versatility is evidenced by the numerous distinct crystalline forms identified across various databases, making it a highly studied material in solid-state chemistry.

Due to its inherent stability and electronic characteristics, this compound serves as a foundational material in industrial and biological contexts. It is widely recognized for its ability to form various hydrated phases, which are essential for its utility in chemical synthesis and manufacturing.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Magnesium sulfate, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

0.30–5.53 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

12
4 databases, 4 space groups
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting MgSO4.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Magnesium sulfate is used.

Agriculture as a fertilizerMedical use as an anticonvulsantFood processingIndustrial desiccantBath salts
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

1 patent reference MgSO4 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
4195070Preparation of a MgCl.sub.2 solution for Nalco's MgCl.sub.2 process from MgSO.sub.4 and other MgSO.sub.4 salts
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Magnesium sulfate, answered from cross-validated data.

What is MgSO4?

Magnesium sulfate is a stable, insulating inorganic salt widely used in agriculture, medicine, and industrial chemical processes.

More questions
What is MgSO4 used for?
Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is used in agriculture as a fertilizer, medical use as an anticonvulsant, food processing, industrial desiccant, and bath salts.
What is the band gap of MgSO4?
Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.30–5.53 eV across 12 reported structures.
Is MgSO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 5.53 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is MgSO4 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of MgSO4 are known?
12 structures of MgSO4 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 4 distinct space groups.
How is MgSO4 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for MgSO4 include sol gel, solid state (4 procedures documented).
What elements does MgSO4 contain?
Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) contains Mg, O, and S (3 elements).
Where does the data for MgSO4 come from?
MgSO4 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone inorganic compound, magnesium sulfate serves as a primary reference point for sulfate-based materials. Its position on the convex hull ensures high thermodynamic stability, establishing it as a robust benchmark for comparing the structural and electronic behavior of other metal sulfates.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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