Magnesium is used as a sulphur-neutralizing agent in steel production.
Magnesium is used in the manufacturing process of steel, especially in the past 20 years. Because sulphur is used in the steel making process, but is an undesired element in the final product, methods are used to desulphurize the steel. Magnesium is the primary element used to desulphurize steel; it chemically bonds with sulphur and dissolves homogeneously in the liquid metal. Therefore, magnesium is present in most of the steel that is produced today on the world market. You can find magnesium in steel by heating it to a liquid and adding other elements to filter out the magnesium.
Instructions
1. Pure magnesium is stronger than steel, but brittle. It is often used in car and motorcycle manufacturing.
Heat your sample of steel to the point that it melts and becomes liquid. Steel is simply iron that has been processed to control the amount of carbon. Iron melts at approximately 2750 degrees Fahrenheit (1510 degrees Celsius). Steel melts at slightly lower temperatures, approximately 10 percent lower. The heat required to melt steel is best produced through a blast furnace. However, a blowtorch can also generate enough heat to melt steel. Take care when using the blast furnace or blowtorch to observe all safety precautions and wear safety equipment. Use a welder's helmet, welder's glasses, welder's apron, safety gloves and earplugs. Collect the molten steel in the attached molten trap and use it for your chemical tests.
2. Put on your safety goggles and protective gloves. Add 4 grams of ammonium carbonate, 1.5 grams of ammonia and 1 gram of ammonium chloride to 8 or 9 grams of molten steel. The purpose of the ammonium carbonate and other compounds is to separate any barium, strontium or calcium in the mixture. (The actual amount of each chemical and steel sample on hand might be larger than the actual amount you use. It is better to have more of the samples on hand in case you need to repeat any steps).
3. Filter the steel liquid to trap solid particles using a surface filter that has been lined with filter paper. By filtering the melted steel mixed with ammonium mixture, the other elements, if they are present, will be filtered out and the magnesium will pass through in the filtrate.
4. Divide the filtrate into three samples of 3 grams each. First, test the mixture for any traces of barium or calcium. You can test for barium by adding 1 gram of a sulphuric acid dilute (suphuric acid that has been diluted by approximately 70% water). For the second sample, test for calcium by adding 1 gram of ammonium oxalate. If there is no reaction in the form of turbidity from these chemicals, then test the third sample for magnesium. Turbidity in this experiment refers to a chemical reaction involving slight frothing or bubbling.
If there is a turbid reaction in the first two samples, then you need to further purify and filter the sample using 1 gram of hydrochloric acid, 1 gram of sulphuric acid dilute and .5 grams of alcohol. You can test for the presence of barium by adding 1 gram of gypsum. By adding 2 grams of water and 1 gram of hydrofluosilicic acid, you can test again for the presence of calcium and strontium.
5. Add 1 gram of sodium phosphate to the third sample. A turbid reaction indicates the presence of magnesium.
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