Magnificent Magnesium
An autobiography
I'm magnesium and my symbol is Mg! My atomic number is 12 and my atomic mass is 24. I have 12 neutrons, protons, and electrons. At 1107*C I melt and at 650*C I boil. I am usually a solid metal and am classified as an Akline Metal on the periodic table. I have 21 isotopes but only 3 of them are stable. The biggest isotope is Mg-40 which lasts 170 nanoseconds. My smallest one is Mg-19 and lasts 4 picoseconds.
I was discovered in 1775 by Scottish chemist Jaciob Black. I was named after a city called Magnesia in Greece that is a source of calcium monoxide, or magnesia. My symbol is not different from my name and is Mg.
Cool facts about ME
Eating magnesium?!?!
One thing you wouldn't guess about me is that I taste sour. I am actually really good for you. I make you happier and have been used in patients with depression and they recovered within 7 days. When you don't get enough magnesium to eat, your body doesn't sleep. The lack of me may be the cause of major health problems. An experiment on mice has shown that magnesium gives better working memory, long term memory, and greater learning ability.
Burn, Burn, Burn
As you can see by the videos above I burn with a white flame. Putting me out is really tough too. I just intensify when chemicals are added. In other words I get really mad. What would you do if chemicals were being poured on you? I react with water too and explode almost. You could out me out with sand or with a chemical free fire extinguisher.