Magnesium sulfide is a simple inorganic compound consisting of magnesium and sulfide. The molecular formula of magnesium sulfide or the molecular formula of magnesium sulfide is given as MgS. It is the chemical formula for magnesium sulfide, and one of the best uses for understanding its physical importance is to determine the molecular weight of this compound. The molecular weight of the compound determined by the molecular formula of magnesium sulfide or magnesium sulfide is 56.38 g/mol. Another interesting property that can be understood by looking at the formula of magnesium sulfide is the exchange of electrons between the two elements. As can be clearly seen from the molecular formula of magnesium sulfide, magnesium and sulfur form a compound in a 1:1 ratio, so the two electrons donated by magnesium are absorbed by the sulfur atom to maintain a neutral charge.
General properties of magnesium sulfide
Typically, magnesium sulfide, which has the chemical formula of MgS as magnesium sulfide, is obtained as slag from the steelmaking process. It is a rare mineral found in some meteorites as the mineral niningerite. It is also found in some envelopes involving certain carbon stars.
Magnesium sulfide, or sulfide as MgS (molecular formula for magnesium sulfide), is a white crystalline solid. Usually, magnesium sulfide exists in impure form, which is a brown non-crystalline powder. It is usually produced during the industrial production of metallic iron. Given the crystal structure or atomic composition shown in the image:
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Usually, it is formed by the reaction of sulfur or hydrogen sulfide with magnesium since the magnesium sulfide molecular formula or magnesium sulfide molecular formula indicates that it is composed of magnesium sulfide. Magnesium sulfide crystals have a rock salt structure because it is the most stable phase that magnesium chloride crystals can adopt. However, crystals of magnesium chloride can be obtained with sphalerite and wurtzite structures by molecular beam epitaxy. The chemical nature of this compound, MgS, the chemical formula of magnesium sulfide or the chemical formula of magnesium sulfide, is related to other sulfides such as those of sodium, barium, or calcium. When magnesium sulfide reacts with oxygen, the corresponding sulfate salt, called magnesium sulfate, is formed. MgS further reacts with water to generate hydrogen sulfide and magnesium hydroxide. It produces hydrogen sulfide when it comes in contact with moisture.
The use of magnesium sulfide
Here are some examples showing the application of magnesium sulfide:
It is used in the BOS steelmaking process, the basic oxygen steelmaking process. In this process, sulfur is the first component to be removed. To remove the sulfur many kilograms of magnesium are used, so the sulfur is removed as magnesium sulfide and is easy to remove since it keeps floating in the molten iron.
It is used as a semiconductor. MgS (molecular formula magnesium sulfide) is a wide bandgap direct semiconductor. It produces a blue-green emitter. Due to this wide bandgap property, magnesium sulfide can be used as a photodetector for short-wavelength ultraviolet light.
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