A study was made on the crystal size of magnesium hydroxide electrolytically precipitated in various conditions in the solution of magnesium chloride. Crystal sizes were calculated by Bragg's crystal size equation, using a half intensity breadth on the x-ray diffraction patterns.
1) Assuming that the crystal of magnesium hydroxide be a regular hexagonal system, it was found to be 75Å high, about 300Å long and about 45×10
-19cm
3 in volume. Such small crystal units coalesce to make the filtration of a large particle easy.
2) It was found that the crystal size was not affected by the concentration of the magnesiumion in the original solution, the current density and the time of electrolysis and the presence of sodium chloride in the solution. With ageing of the prepared hydroxide in the mother liquor, the crystal size increased only a little for the duration of 30 days.
3) The size of Crystals of magnesium hydroxide electrolytically precipitated in the magnesium sulfate solution, it was found, was about 45Å high, about 200 Å long and 11×10
-19cm
3 in volume; it was somewhat smaller than that in the magnesium chloride solution. However, it was much easier to be filtrated, washed and dried.
The crystal size of the precipitate became larger in the presence of sodium chloride in the sulfate solution. With ageing of the precipitate in the mother liquor, the size became larger, i. e., 123Å high, 320Å long after 3 weeks. Thereafter, further ageing was useless.
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