Magnesium - 12Mg: biological information
Magnesium is an important element for plants and animals. Chlorophylls (responsible for the green colour of plants) are compounds knonw as porphyrins and are based upon magnesium. Magnesium is required for the proper working of some enzymes. The adult daily requirement of magnesium is about 0.3 g day-1.
Levels in humans
The abundances of the elements in humans.
- Human abundance by weight: 270000 ppb by weight
- Human abundance by atoms: 70000 atoms relative to C = 1000000
How much magnesium is in your body? Find out here.
You can use this form to calculate how much magnesium your body contains. Enter your weight in either kilograms or pounds and click the "Calculate" button. You must enter a number, not text! Elements for which there are no data will always give a value of zero for the weight, no matter what you put in the weight box.
Hazards and Risks
Hazards and risks associated with magnesium:
Magnesium metal is a major fire risk. Magnesium compounds are not normally particularly toxic.
References
- J.E. Huheey, E.A. Keiter, and R.L. Keiter in Inorganic Chemistry : Principles of Structure and Reactivity, 4th edition, HarperCollins, New York, USA, 1993.
- S. Budavari (Ed.) in The Merck Index, 11th ed., Merck, USA, 1989.
- N.N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw in Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd edition, Butterworth, UK, 1997.