Metallic structures and bonding
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Why does magnesium have lower density than iron?
Corrie writes ....
In a metal the atoms are closely packed together in a regular lattice.
Magnesium atoms are larger than iron atoms, so if the packing was the same, fewer magnesium atoms would pack into the same volume. However, the packing in magnesium is not quite the same as that for iron.
The main reason for the difference in density is the fact that the iron atoms are more than twice as heavy as magnesium atoms, so even if the packing is not quite the same, there is much more mass per unit volume in a piece of iron - hence its higher density.
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updated: 09 May 2007
