Magnesium silicide
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| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Magnesium silicide | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.041.125 |
| EC Number |
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PubChem CID
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| Mg2Si | |
| Molar mass | 76.695 g·mol−1 |
| Density | 1.988 g cm-3 |
| Melting point | 1,102 °C (2,016 °F; 1,375 K) |
| Hazards | |
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards
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reacts with water to give silane |
| Related compounds | |
Other cations
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Calcium silicide |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Magnesium silicide, Mg2Si, is an inorganic compound consisting of magnesium and silicon. As a powder magnesium silicide is dark blue or slightly purple in color. Silicon dioxide, SiO2, found in sand and glass, when heated with magnesium forms magnesium oxide, and, if an excess of magnesium is used, magnesium silicide is formed. The first product in this reaction is silicon, which then reacts further with magnesium to produce Mg2Si. The stoichiometry of these reactions are such that with a 2:1 Mg:SiO2 molar ratio, MgO is formed:
- 2 Mg + SiO2 → 2 MgO + Si
If an excess of Mg is present, Mg2Si is formed from the reaction of the remaining magnesium with the silicon via:
- 2 Mg + Si → Mg2Si
Hence, the overall reaction for the formation of magnesium silicide from a 4:1 Mg:SiO2 molar ratio may be represented as:
- 4 Mg + SiO2 → 2 MgO + Mg2Si
These reactions proceed violently, producing a great amount of heat.
Magnesium silicide can also be formed by the reaction between magnesium hydride and silicon with the evolution of hydrogen gas at temperatures above 250°C:
- 2 MgH2 + Si → Mg2Si + 2 H2
This reaction releases 5 wt.% hydrogen and has been considered for hydrogen storage[citation needed]. However, its reversibility has yet to be demonstrated.
Magnesium silicide is used to create aluminium alloys of the 6000 series, containing up to approximately 1.5% Mg2Si. An alloy of this group can be age-hardened to form Guinier-Preston zones and a very fine precipitate, both resulting in increased strength of the alloy.[1]
When magnesium silicide is placed into hydrochloric acid, HCl(aq), the gas silane, SiH4, is produced. This gas is the silicon analogue of methane, CH4, but is more reactive. Silane is pyrophoric, that is, due to the presence of oxygen, it spontaneously combusts in air:
- Mg2Si(s) + 4 HCl(aq) → SiH4(g) + 2 MgCl2(s)
- SiH4 + 2 O2 → SiO2 + 2 H2O
These reactions are typical of a Group 2 silicide. Mg2Si reacts similarly with sulfuric acid. Group 1 silicides are even more reactive. For example, sodium silicide, Na2Si, reacts rapidly with water to yield sodium silicate, Na2SiO3, and hydrogen gas.
Crystal Structure
Mg2Si crystallizes in a face-centered cubic lattice. It possesses the antifluorite structure with Si4- ions occupying the corners and face-centered positions of the unit cell and Mg2+ ions occupying eight tetrahedral sites in the interior of the unit cell. There are also four equivalent interstitial sites.[2] Hence, the structure contains isolated Si4- ions. This feature makes the Si4 - ion of Mg2Si a good Brønsted–Lowry base (proton acceptor).