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MAGNESIUM
Natural Abundance, Stable Isobars Mg24, 78.60%, None Mg25, 10.11% Mg26, 11.29% Magnesium chloride, magnesium bromide, magnesium iodide, and magnesium metal have been used as charge material in the separation of the isotopes of magnesium. Of the halides, magnesium bromide was the most satisfactory compound; however, Mg metal is the preferred charge since undesirable side bands are not formed during its processing. The usual charge consists of 150 g of Mg metal in a style S-16 stainless steel charge bottle. Both Mg metal and MgBr2 can be obtained from commercial sources. Magnesium bromide can also be prepared in the laboratory by neutralizing hydrobromic acid with magnesium oxide, filtering, adding ammonium bromide to the filtrate, and evaporating to dryness. The addition of ammonium bromide stabilizes MgBr2 while the water of crystallization is being driven off. Excess ammonium bromide is then removed by heating to 300° C, yielding a MgBr2 product which is satisfactory for calutron separation. The principal hazard to avoid in handling magnesium is ignition of the metal. Although its ignition temperature is rather high, magnesium metal burns violently once it is ignited. Recommended protective equipment includes safety glasses and respirators if any dusting is encountered. |
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