Magnesium which has the atomic symbol ‘Mg’ is an alkaline earth metal and is quite abundantly found in nature including earth, human body and seawater. Its salts made their first appearance in 1618 in Epsom, England, in a farmer’s well, the water of which he used to cure rashes. That is why its salts are called ‘Epsom Salt’ but the metal itself was first extracted in its pure form by Sir Humphry Davy while he was carrying out electrolysis of magnesia n the year 1808. He was the one who suggested the name as well.
