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Magnesium plating with Epsom salts?

Q. I would like to know if it is possible to do electroplating with epsom salt [affil links] (magnesium sulphate heptahydrate). I tried this experiment with an anode made from aluminum (since I had no magnesium) and a cathode made from copper. The result was that the aluminum was dissolved and that the copper was covered with a white film (it was not a metallic film).

Thank You,

Nicolas Geoffroy
- Repentigny, QuÈbec, Canada
2001

A. Magnesium and aluminum are both very active metals that cannot be plated out of epsom salt [affil links]s or any other aqueous solution. You may have achieved some marginal anodization of the aluminum however by making it an anode in a conductive solution.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2001

Q. What is the best way to finish plate magnesium onto another metal or a plastic? I heard that a nickel striking is sometimes done to the plastic surface before electroplating any metal. Knowing that magnesium is highly reactive is it safe to even attempt electroplating with magnesium? What is your advice?

Edward T. Reininger
School Science Project - LaCrescenta, California
2002

A. It's not a question of safety, Edward, Epsom salts are a very safe form of magnesium to work with. The problem is that it just can't be done. All of the electricity you put in will go solely to converting water into hydrogen and oxygen because magnesium is so electrochemically active, that it fights reduction to metallic form more powerfully than the hydrogen does.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

Q. How about copper plating?

David Elliott
- Mize, Mississippi, USA
May 20, 2012

A. Hi David.

How about it? What are you asking? Yes, epsom salt can be used in science-projects involving copper plating, if that is what you were asking. Please see our FAQ "How Electroplating Works". Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 21, 2012

Making magnesium with magnesium hydroxide and charcoal

September 8, 2014

Q. Dear sir,
I would like to know how to convert:
1. magnesium hydroxide to magnesium (electrochemically and using wood charcoal)
2. magnesium chloride to magnesium (electrochemically and using wood charcoal)
Kindly help me with your valuable advice.
Regards,
kailasanathan

kailasa nathan T N
- kollam, kerala, India

Magnesium Chloride

A. Hi cousin Kailasa. There are many things that I'd like to do that aren't possible :-)
You might possibly be on the right track, but sorry, I'm not familiar with it and am not seeing it as possible. What is it that leads you to believe that wood charcoal will help you electrochemically reduce magnesium ions to magnesium metal? Can you give us a source to study?

As far as I know, but I don't claim to know everything, you need to get the magnesium chloride hot enough to fuse (melt), i.e., above 714 °C, before you can go on to step 2. And magnesium is flammable, while electrolyzing the magnesium chloride emits a lot of poisonous chlorine gas, compounding the problem. I think manufacturing magnesium metal is quite a bit more difficult that that, but best of luck!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2014

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