Magnesium carbonate and lithium carbonate are inorganic salts with various applications. Magnesium carbonate is a white solid commonly obtained from mining magnesite and used as an antacid, laxative, and filler in pharmaceuticals. It reacts with acids to form magnesium chloride and carbon dioxide. Lithium carbonate is a white powder extracted from pegmatite crystals and brine to treat conditions like bipolar disorder by inhibiting irregular protein kinase C activity in the brain. It is prepared through reactions of lithium compounds with carbon dioxide or sodium carbonate. Both salts have low solubility in water.

1. Magnesium Carbonate
&
Lithium Carbonate
Mahpara Gondal
Rashid Latif College of pharmacy

2. Magnesium Carbonate
Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3 (archaic name
magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a white solid.
Several hydrated and basic forms of magnesium
carbonate also exist as minerals.

3. Occurrence
• GRECIAN MAGNESITE’s natural
magnesium carbonate products (also
called crude or raw Magnesite) are of
cryptocrystalline form exhibiting
extremely low amounts of Fe and Mn
dissolved in their structure and are white
in color.
• The main advantages of Magnesite is
more than 80% of global natural MgO
production comes from Magnesite
deposits i.e. China, Russia, N. Korea,
Spain, Austria, Brazil which are the
higher achievable sources for natural
deposits of magnesium carbonate.

4. Physical properties
Chemical formula MgCO3
Molar mass 84.3139 g/mol (anhydrous)
Appearance
white solid
hygroscopic
Odor odorless
Density
2.958 g/cm3 (anhydrous)
Melting point
350 °C (662 °F; 623 K)
decomposes (anydrous)
Solubility in water
anhydrous:
0.0106 g/100ml (25 °C)
Soluble in acid

5. Chemical Properties
• Reaction With acids
Magnesium carbonate reacts with aqueous acids
to release carbon dioxide and water:
MgCO3 + 2HCl → MgCl2 + CO2 + H2O
MgCO3 + H2SO4 → MgSO4 + CO2 + H2O

6. Cont….
• At high temperatures MgCO3 decomposes to
magnesium oxide and carbon dioxide. This
process is important in the production of
magnesium oxide.
This process is called calcining:
MgCO3 → MgO + CO2

7. Cont…
• It is also interesting to note that the hydrates of the salts lose
water at different temperatures during decomposition. For
example in the trihydrate, which molecular formula may be
written as Mg(HCO3)(OH)•2(H2O), the dehydration steps
occur at 157 °C and 179 °C as follows:
• Mg(HCO3)(OH)•2(H2O) → Mg(HCO3)(OH)•(H2O) + H2O at
157 °C
• Mg(HCO3)(OH)•(H2O) → Mg(HCO3)(OH) + H2O at 179 °C

8. Preparation
• Magnesium carbonate is ordinarily obtained by
mining the mineral magnesite.
• Magnesium carbonate can be prepared in
laboratory by reaction between any soluble
magnesium salt and sodium bicarbonate:
MgCl2(aq) + 2NaHCO3(aq) → MgCO3(s) + 2NaCl + H2O(l) + CO2(g)

9. Cont…
• If magnesium chloride (or sulfate) is treated with aqueous sodium
carbonate, a precipitate of basic magnesium carbonate—a hydrated
complex of magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide—rather than
magnesium carbonate itself is formed:
• 5MgCl2(aq) + 5Na2CO3(aq) + 5H2O(l) → Mg(OH)2·3MgCO3·3H2O(s) +
Mg(HCO3)2(aq) + 10NaCl(aq)
• Magnesium bicarbonate, which can be formed by combining a slurry of
magnesium hydroxide and carbon dioxide at high pressure and moderate
temperature.]
• The bicarbonate is then vacuum dried, causing it to lose carbon dioxide and
a molecule of water:
Mg(OH)2 + 2 CO2 → Mg(HCO3)2
Mg(HCO3)2 → MgCO3 + CO2 + H2O

10. Pharmaceutical Applications
• high purity magnesium carbonate is used
as antacid
• as an filler material in many dosage forms
to keep it free flowing.
• a laxative to loosen the bowels,

11. Brands
• Generic; magnesium carbonate
• Brand names: Magonate, Mag-Carb, Dewees
Carminative
Drug class(es): minerals and electrolytes
Magnesium carbonate systemic is used in the treatment
of:
• Dietary Supplementation
• Hypomagnesemia
• Indigestion

12. Cont…
• Multi-ingredient medications containing magnesium
carbonate:
• Generic: alginic acid/aluminum hydroxide/magnesium
carbonate systemic
• Brand names: Heartburn Antacid Extra Strength, Alenic
Alka, Gaviscon Extra Relief Formula
Drug class(es): antacids
Alginic acid/aluminum hydroxide/magnesium carbonate
systemic is used in the treatment of:
• GERD
• Indigestion

14. Other uses
• Because of its water-insoluble, hygroscopic properties
MgCO3 was first added to salt in 1911 to make the salt
flow more freely.
• The Morton Salt company adopted the slogan "When it
rains it pours" in reference to the fact that its MgCO3-
containing salt would not stick together in humid
weather.
• Magnesium carbonate, most often referred to as 'chalk',
is used as a drying agent for hands in rock climbing,
gymnastics, and weight lifting
• It is also use in cosmetics and toothpaste.

15. Lithium Carbonate
• Lithium carbonate is an inorganic compound, the lithium salt
of carbonate with the formula Li2CO3. This white salt is
widely used in the processing of metal oxides.

16. Occurrence
• Lithium is a naturally occurring alkali metal found in
numerous foods and drinking water, especially that which
comes from river basins and other fresh sources.
• Doctors prescribe high doses of lithium in drug form to
stabilize the mood of patients with psychiatric disorders,
including bipolar disorder.
• Lithium is a comparatively rare element, although it is found
in many rocks and some brines, but always in very low
concentrations. There are a fairly large number of both lithium
mineral (carbonates) and brine deposits but only comparatively
few of them are of actual or potential commercial value.

17. Physical properties
Chemical formula Li2CO3
Molar mass 73.89
Appearance Odorless white powder
Density 2.11 g/cm3
Melting point 723 °C (1,333 °F; 996 K)
Boiling point
1,310 °C (2,390 °F; 1,580 K)
decomposes from ~1300 °C
Solubility in water
1.54 g/100 mL (0 °C)
1.43 g/100 mL (10 °C)
1.29 g/100 mL (25 °C

18. Chemical properties.
• Lithium carbonate exists only in the anhydrous form. Its
solubility in water is low relative to other lithium salts. The
isolation of lithium from aqueous extracts of lithium ores
capitalizes on this poor solubility.
• Its apparent solubility increases 10-fold under a mild pressure
of carbon dioxide; this effect is due to the formation of the
metastable bicarbonate, which is more soluble.
Li2CO3 + CO2 + H2O ⇌ 2 LiHCO3

19. Cont…
• Lithium carbonate can also be purified by exploiting
its diminished solubility in hot water. Thus, heating a
saturated aqueous solution causes crystallization of
Li2CO3.
• Li2CO3 decomposes at temperatures around 1300 °C.

20. Preparation
• Lithium is extracted from primarily two sources: pegmatite
crystals and lithium salt from brine pools.
• 1. Lithium carbonate is generated by combining lithium
peroxide with carbon dioxide. This reaction is the basis of
certain air purifiers, e.g., in spacecraft, used to absorb carbon
dioxide.
2 Li2O2 + 2 CO2 → 2 Li2CO3 + O2

21. Cont…
• 2. lithium hydroxide is reacted with sodium carbonate
to form lithium carbonate and sodium hydroxide as a
by product.
• 2LiOH + Na2CO3 Li2CO3 + 2NaOH
• 3. Lithium carbonate is also formed by, reaction of
lithium chloride with sodium carbonate.
• 2LiCl + Na2CO3 Li2CO3 + 2NaCl

22. Medicinal uses
• Lithium carbonate is used to treat mania, the elevated phase of
bipolar disorder. Lithium ions interfere with ion transport
processes (“sodium pump”) that relay and amplify messages
carried to the cells of the brain.
• Mania is associated with irregular increases in protein kinase C
(PKC) activity within the brain. Lithium carbonate and sodium
valproate, another drug traditionally used to treat the disorder,
act in the brain by inhibiting PKC’s activity and help to
produce other compounds that also inhibit the PKC.

23. Cont…
Symptoms include
• hyperactivity,
• rushed speech,
• poor judgment,
• reduced need for sleep,
• aggression, and anger.

24. Brands
• Brand names: Lithium Carbonate ER, Lithobid,
Eskalith, Eskalith-CR
Drug class(es): miscellaneous antipsychotic agents
Lithium systemic is used in the treatment of:
• Bipolar Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Cluster Headaches
• Cyclothymic Disorder
• Depression
• Intermittent Explosive Disorder
• Mania