Magnesium is an important nutrient for humans. Our body absorbs magnesium through leafy vegetables such as cabbage and spinach.
Not just in these vegetables, magnesium is found in all green plants. It is present in their leaves where it traps the Sun’s energy to prepare the plant’s food. In fact, magnesium is present in the cells of all organisms!
The element is so essential for humans that more than 300 kinds of body processes cannot take place without it. It is plentiful on Earth too, as it is the 8th most abundant element. The element makes up 13 per cent of the Earth’s total mass, and it comes third, after sodium and chlorine, in its presence in sea water.
Magnesium is generally found in compound forms. The element mostly combines with oxygen and calcium. Magnesium has a silvery white colour.
After iron and aluminium, this is the most sought after metal in the world. It is used in alloys and materials that need to be light-weight and strong.
The name of the metal derives from the name of a region in Greece called Magnesia, where the compounds of magnesium were found in plenty. Its atomic number is 12, and the symbol is Mg.
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