Magnesium, the silvery-white metal that burns with a brilliant flame, has captivated scientists and industrialists for over four centuries. From its humble beginnings as bitter water that cattle refused to drink in an English farm, to its critical role in modern aerospace and automotive industries, magnesium’s journey through history reflects humanity’s evolving understanding of chemistry and materials science. This lightweight metal, the eighth most abundant element in Earth’s crust and the third most plentiful in seawater, has proven essential not only in industrial applications but also as a fundamental element of life itself, sitting at the heart of every chlorophyll molecule that enables photosynthesis on our planet.

Be sure to check out all other critical raw materials (CRMs), as well.

A History Of Magnesium

The story of magnesium spans over 400 years, beginning with accidental discoveries and evolving into sophisticated industrial processes. From the healing waters of Epsom to the lightweight alloys in modern aircraft, magnesium’s history encompasses groundbreaking scientific discoveries, Nobel Prize-winning research, wartime innovations, and the development of global industries that continue to shape our world today.

Chronology

• 1618 – Henry Wicker, a farmer in Epsom, England, discovered that water from a local well had a bitter taste that caused his cows to refuse drinking it, but noticed the water seemed to heal scratches and rashes, leading to the fame of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) [1, 2, 3]
• 1695 – Nehemia Grew first isolated magnesium sulfate as a salt from Epsom spring water [4]
• 1755 – Joseph Black, a Scottish chemist, recognized magnesium as a distinct element through experiments with magnesium carbonate, finding it was altogether separate from calcium carbonate [2, 3, 5, 6, 7]
• 1792 – Anton Rupprecht (Anton von Ruprecht) produced metallic magnesium by heating magnesia with charcoal, though the resulting “austrium of white magnesia” was of very low purity due to iron contamination [1, 8]
• 1803 – John Dalton developed his atomic theory, which later included a symbol for magnesium in his system of chemical notation [2, 9]
• 1807 – Thomas Thomson published Dalton’s atomic theory in the 3rd edition of his System of Chemistry, including information about magnesium [2, 9]
• 1808 – Sir Humphry Davy first isolated magnesium metal through electrolysis of a mixture of magnesia (magnesium oxide) and mercuric oxide, initially suggesting the name “magnium” before settling on “magnesium” [2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10]
• 1828 – Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy produced magnesium in its pure metallic form by reacting magnesium chloride with potassium, achieving what Davy had not fully accomplished [5, 6, 11]
• 1831 – Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy prepared magnesium in coherent form [12]
• 1833 – Michael Faraday, Davy’s assistant, first produced magnesium metal by electrolysis of fused anhydrous magnesium chloride [1, 13]
• 1852 – Robert Bunsen created a small laboratory cell for the electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride, enabling commercial production [1, 13]
• 1862 – Initial magnesium products for pyrotechnical use and photography flash lights were presented at the world exhibition in London [1]
• 1886 – Commercial production of magnesium began in Germany by Aluminium und Magnesiumfabrik Hemelingen using electrolysis of molten carnallite, based on a modification of Bunsen’s electrolytic cell [5, 13, 14]
• 1900 – Victor Grignard discovered the Grignard reaction, creating organomagnesium compounds that became fundamental tools in organic synthesis [15, 16, 17]
• 1912 – Victor Grignard was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of Grignard reagents, organomagnesium compounds (R-Mg-X) that use magnesium as the key reactive metal component [15, 16, 17]
• 1915 – Richard Willstätter was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on plant pigments, especially chlorophyll, proving that magnesium is an essential part of chlorophyll’s structure [4, 18, 19]
• 1916 – Dow Chemical Company produced the first ingot of magnesium metal in the United States after developing a process to extract it from brine in Midland, Michigan [5, 14]
• 1917 – Wilhelm Schlenk and his son determined that Grignard reagents contain multiple species of magnesium in diethyl ether solution, leading to the Schlenk Equilibrium [20]
• 1918 – Dow Chemical sold 3,852 pounds of magnesium, with nearly all going to the World War I effort for use in star shells, tracer bullets, flares, and incendiaries [5]
• 1921 – Tommy Milton won the Indianapolis 500 in a Frontenac car featuring Dow’s magnesium pistons [22]
• 1933 – Dow Chemical built the first magnesium gondola designed by Jean Piccard for the Chicago World’s Fair stratospheric balloon flights; work started on the first magnesium propeller blades, entering full commercial production [21, 22]
• 1935 – The aircraft industry became the single largest consumer of magnesium, used for everything from propellers to fuel tanks [21]
• 1938 – Amati at the University of Padua first developed the silicothermic reduction of dolomite, a process for extracting magnesium metal from dolomite ore (magnesium-calcium carbonate), leading to the Bolzano process for magnesium production in Italy [23]
• 1939 – Lloyd Montgomery Pidgeon developed the Pidgeon process for magnesium production at the Canadian National Research Council [24, 25]
• 1940s – During World War II, peak magnesium production reached 232,000 tonnes globally from 32,000 tonnes before the war, with 15 plants built in the United States alone; German aircraft extensively used magnesium alloys, coining the term “Elektron”; UK prohibited magnesium use outside military applications; Wright Aeronautical used magnesium crankcases in engines; Dow Chemical and Magnesium Elektron began seawater extraction [9, 13, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28]
• 1941 – The first Pidgeon process plant was built and operated by Dominion Magnesium in Haley, Ontario, Canada [24, 25]
• 1950s – Interest in magnesium for military aircraft declined as engines became more powerful, but renewed during the rocket era [27, 29]
• 1958 – China started the development of its magnesium smelting industry [32]
• 1961 – The Magnetherm process for magnesium production was introduced in France [33]
• 1965 – China successfully developed its first magnesium alloy, the AZ31B alloy, mainly used in the military field [32]
• 1970s – China began to establish magnesium alloy production lines; the magnetherm method was promoted in France, United States, former Yugoslavia, and Brazil; Volkswagen Beetle became the most significant automotive application of magnesium [30, 32, 34]
• 1974 – Norsk Hydro introduced extraction from dehydrated magnesium chloride prills [33]
• 1980s – China’s magnesium alloy production began to grow rapidly with new alloys like AZ91D and AM60B; the Pidgeon method underwent further development in China; Japan’s Yamaguchi Company developed techniques for preparing magnesium sulfate from seawater [32, 34]
• 1990s – China began to dominate magnesium production using the Pidgeon process; electrolytic smelting was gradually replaced by the Pidgeon process [31, 34]
• 1995 – The United States supplied 45% of world magnesium production [9]
• 1998 – Dow Chemical closed its 65,000 ton/year capacity magnesium plant near Freeport, Texas, ending over 80 years of operation [25]
• 2000 – Canada had three magnesium smelters using sulfur hexafluoride as cover gas [23, 25]
• 2001 – The last primary magnesium production plant in Europe shut down [35]
• 2003 – China successfully produced the world’s largest cast magnesium alloy for the first time [32]
• 2004 – The Pidgeon process plant in Haley, Ontario closed after 63 years of operation [25]
• 2007 – Chinese magnesium production rose to over 75% of global production at 627,300 tonnes [31]
• 2010 – Malaysia opened new primary magnesium plants; world production was approximately 770,000 tonnes [3, 36]
• 2011 – Magnesium production departed from Canada due to the Kyoto Protocol and environmental regulations [23, 25]
• 2012 – Global magnesium alloy demand remained stable with growth in automotive industry and rapid growth in consumer electronics like tablets and smartphones [3]
• 2013 – US Magnesium remained as the single US producer, with the US market share at 7%; global consumption of magnesium alloys was less than one million tonnes per year [9]
• 2014 – World magnesium production reached approximately 910,000 tonnes [36]
• 2015 – Significant research published on magnesium biodegradable implants and biomedical applications [37]
• 2016 – Research focus expanded to include magnesium-ion batteries and hydrogen storage materials [38]
• 2017 – World magnesium production was approximately 1,100 kt, with China producing 930 kt and Russia producing 60 kt [9]
• 2018 – Advanced magnesium alloy development continued with focus on concurrent high strength and superior plasticity [39]
• 2019 – Primary magnesium production reached approximately 950,000 tonnes globally [36]
• 2020 – Over 3,000 papers on magnesium published in SCI journals, with emerging focus on functional magnesium materials including Mg-ion batteries and bio-magnesium alloys [40]
• 2021 – China took steps to reduce magnesium production as part of government initiatives to reduce energy availability for manufacturing industries, causing significant global supply concerns and price increases reaching all-time highs; over 4,000 papers on magnesium published [9, 38, 41]
• 2022 – Over 4,600 papers on magnesium published, with continued focus on bio-Mg materials, Mg-ion batteries, and hydrogen storage applications [42]
• 2023 – Over 4,680 papers on magnesium published; world primary smelter production estimated at 940,000 metric tons [36, 43]

Final Thoughts

The history of magnesium reveals a remarkable transformation from a curiosity in bitter spring water to an indispensable material in modern technology. While its early applications focused on its dramatic light-producing properties in photography and warfare, magnesium’s true potential emerged through scientific breakthroughs that revealed its role in life’s fundamental processes and its unique properties as the lightest structural metal. Today, as we face challenges of sustainability and energy efficiency, magnesium continues to evolve, finding new applications in lightweight vehicles, biodegradable implants, and next-generation batteries. The journey from Epsom’s healing waters to advanced aerospace alloys demonstrates how a single element can shape centuries of human progress, reminding us that the next chapter in magnesium’s story may hold innovations we have yet to imagine.

Thanks for reading!

References

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[42] Research advances of magnesium and magnesium alloys worldwide in 2022 – ScienceDirect – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213956723001603

[43] Research advances of magnesium and magnesium alloys globally in 2023 – ScienceDirect – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213956724003219