Magnesium fluoride

Magnesium fluoride is an ionic compound made of magnesium and fluoride ions. The chemical formula is . The molar mass is around 62.3018 g/mol. The melting point of magnesium fluoride is around 1263 °C. It occurs naturally in the rare mineral known as sellaite. 

 Preparation 
The most common way of making magnesium fluoride uses a source of hydrogen fluoride and a basic magnesium compound like magnesium oxide or magnesium carbonate.

Because hydrogen fluoride gas is very dangerous, people often use solid bifluoride salts like ammonium bifluoride.

Magnesium fluoride is also made as a byproduct when magnesium metal is used to reduce fluorides of other metals. For example, the production of uranium metal from uranium tetrafluoride:

 References 

Related pages
Magnesium chloride
Sodium fluoride

Category:Magnesium compounds
Category:Fluorides