The Chemistry and Technology of Magnesia
Chapter One
HISTORY OF MAGNESIA
1.1 HISTORY OF MAGNESIA
Magnesia alba, otherwise known to alchemists as white magnesia or mild
magnesian earth, is known today as magnesite or magnesium carbonate,
MgC[O.sub.3]. Magnesia nigra, however, refers to black manganese oxide,
Mn[O.sub.2]. Both of these names are derived from Magnesia, [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII],
which is a prefecture in Thessaly, Greece. Manganese and magnesium, as
well as iron, are abundant in the form of oxides and carbonates in this
region, and these minerals were referred to as "stones from Magnesia."
The iron oxides present in magnesia were in the form of magnetic magnetite
or lodestone, and both magnesia alba and magnesia nigra contain large
amounts of magnetite, thus making them magnetic. This explains why
magnesium and magnet are both derived from the place name Magnesia.
In alchemical terms, magnesia meant "a stone shining like silver" and was
purported to be an ingredient of the philosopher's stone. In the more modern
sense of the word, it is thought to have o ... read full excerpt from The Chemistry and Technology of Magnesia: ebook
