
magnesium | Description, Properties, & Compounds | …
Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH) 2, is a white powder produced in large quantities from seawater by the addition of milk of lime (calcium hydroxide).It is the primary raw material in the production of magnesium metal and has been used as a fire-retardant additive. In water it forms a suspension known as milk of magnesia, which has long been used as an antacid and a laxative.