Chemical Names for Epsom Salt
- While Epsom salts are structurally similar to table salt, the rest of their chemistry is rather different.salt jars image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
According to the Epsom Salt Council, the term "Epsom" is actually the name of the British town where explorers during the time of Shakespeare first discovered crystals of this compound. Conversely, Epsom salts have little to do with the sodium chloride--or salt, in every day terms--that you use to season your food. - Epsom salts are made up of magnesium sulfate crystals, represented by the chemical formula MgSO4·7H2O. As a result of the "7H2O" at the end, it's sometimes referred to as "magnesium sulfate heptahydrate" or "hydrated magnesium sulfate." Physically, it represents the fact that seven molecules of water are present for every molecule of magnesium sulfate contained in its crystals.
- As they occur and grow naturally, Epsom salts can also be considered minerals--and named as such. According to Minerals.net, Epsom salts are said to be "Epsomite" in nature. They are commonly found on cave walls from deposition of material from saline springs and, according to the website, "exist only in arid regions and in dry caves which protect [them] from rain and moisture."
- Specifically, a salt is one of the by-products produced by the reaction of an acid and a base, the other by-product being water. Chemists can synthesize magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) by combining sulfuric acid and magnesium hydroxide (a base) together, according to the chemical equation H2SO4 + MgOH --> MgSO4 + H2O.
