magnesium

mag·ne·si·um   (māg-nē'zē-əm, -zhəm)    n.   Symbol Mg A light, silvery-white, moderately hard metallic element that in ribbon or powder form burns with a brilliant white flame. It is used in structural alloys, pyrotechnics, flash photography, and incendiary bombs. Atomic number 12; atomic weight 24.305; melting point 649°C; boiling point 1,090°C; specific gravity 1.74 (at 20°C); valence 2. See Table at element. [From magnesia.]

Main Entry: mag·ne·sium
Pronunciation: mag-'nE-zE-&m, -zh&m
Function: noun
: a silver-white light malleable ductile metallic elementthat occurs abundantly in nature (as in bones and seeds and in the form of chlorophyll in the green parts of plants) and is used in metallurgical and chemical processes, in photography, in signaling,and in the manufacture of pyrotechnics because of the intense white light it produces on burning, and in construction especially in the form of light alloys —symbol Mg; —see ELEMENT table

magnesium mag·ne·si·um (māg-nē'zē-əm, -zhəm)
n.
Symbol Mg
A light metallic element that burns with a brilliant white flame. Atomic number 12; atomic weight 24.305; melting point 649°C; boiling point 1,090°C; specific gravity 1.74 (at 20°C); valence 2.