Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, also known as sulfur bitter salt, bitter salt, epsom salt, or epsom salt (with the chemical formula MgSO₄·7H₂O), occurs as white or colorless needle-shaped or oblique prism-shaped crystals. It is colorless and transparent, and aggregates have a white, rose-colored, or green glassy luster. It can be fibrous, needle-shaped, granular, or powdery. It is odorless and bitter. Upon heating, it decomposes, gradually losing its crystal water to form anhydrous magnesium sulfate. It is freely soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol and glycerin.

PRODUCT APPLICATIONS

It is primarily used in the manufacture of fertilizers, leather, printing and dyeing, catalysts, papermaking, plastics, porcelain, pigments, matches, explosives, and fireproofing materials. It can be used for printing and dyeing thin cotton and silk, as a weighting agent for cotton silk, and as a filler for kapok products. It is also used in medicine as epsom salt.

Industry

It is used in leather, explosives, papermaking, porcelain, fertilizers, and in oral laxatives, as a mineral water additive.

Agriculture

Magnesium sulfate is used as a fertilizer in agriculture because magnesium is a major component of chlorophyll. It is commonly used for potted plants or magnesium-deficient crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, and roses. Magnesium sulfate has the advantage of being more soluble than other fertilizers. It is also used as a bath salt.