Bischofite
Encyclopedia
Bischofite is a hydrous magnesium chloride
mineral with formula MgCl2·6(H2O). It belongs to halide
s and is a sea salt concentrate dated from the Permian Period (nearly 200 million years ago). Bischofite is ecologically pure natural magnesium
poly-mineral which is unique by its composition, and which by content of important for human health and vital activity macro- and micro-elements much more exceeds the natural analogies like sea and ocean salts. The main bishofit compound is magnesium chloride
(up to 350 g/L), moreover, it contains about 70 other elements as impurities, including potassium
, sodium
, bromine
, boron
, calcium
, silicon
, molybdenum
, silver
, zinc
, iron
and copper
.
salt deposits in Germany by German geologist Gustav Bischof
in the second half of 19th century. It is named “bishofite” in honor of its discoverer.
It is an evaporite
formed in an ancient seabed which were deposited more than 200 million years ago, in the Permian
Period.
In 1930–1950, vast bishofit deposits were discovered near the Volga River
in Russia. It is easily evaporated and is mined by dissolving underground dry mineral stratum with artesian water. The resulting brine is pumped out.
, halite
, kieserite
and anhydride. These are the so-called bishofite containing rocks which have pink-brown-yellow and orange-red colors. They contain 36–58% of bishofite. Carnallite deposits are known in Staßfurt, Germany – where bishofit was firstly discovered, and carnallite is one of the most important minerals in potassium salt deposits (Solykam deposit, Ural
, Russia). Sub-surface bishofite layers were also discovered in Kazakhstan
, Turkmenistan
, China
and US.
There are bishofite-rich deposits with concentrations of 93–96%. One of those rare deposits is in Volgograd
region of Russia. Another one was found in 1990s in Poltava
region in Ukraine
. This is one of the deepest (2,5 km) and thus oldest bishofite deposits.
Bishofite is used in form of compresses to treat joint diseases such as arthritis
, rheumatic fever
osteoarthritis
, rheumatoid arthritis
, radiculitis, calcaneal spur and traumas, especially in rehabilitation centers of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania. Bishofit is also applied in gel form.
Bishofit is used in production of the industrial Sorel cement
and synthetic carnallite
. Bishofit solution is applied to deice roads, similar to sodium chloride
, but less corrosive. It is also used in agriculture, veterinary medicine and cattle breeding to increase the crop yield and treat animals.
Magnesium chloride
Magnesium chloride is the name for the chemical compounds with the formulas MgCl2 and its various hydrates MgCl2x. These salts are typical ionic halides, being highly soluble in water. The hydrated magnesium chloride can be extracted from brine or sea water...
mineral with formula MgCl2·6(H2O). It belongs to halide
Halide
A halide is a binary compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative than the halogen, to make a fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, or astatide compound. Many salts are halides...
s and is a sea salt concentrate dated from the Permian Period (nearly 200 million years ago). Bischofite is ecologically pure natural magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
poly-mineral which is unique by its composition, and which by content of important for human health and vital activity macro- and micro-elements much more exceeds the natural analogies like sea and ocean salts. The main bishofit compound is magnesium chloride
Magnesium chloride
Magnesium chloride is the name for the chemical compounds with the formulas MgCl2 and its various hydrates MgCl2x. These salts are typical ionic halides, being highly soluble in water. The hydrated magnesium chloride can be extracted from brine or sea water...
(up to 350 g/L), moreover, it contains about 70 other elements as impurities, including potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
, sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
, bromine
Bromine
Bromine ") is a chemical element with the symbol Br, an atomic number of 35, and an atomic mass of 79.904. It is in the halogen element group. The element was isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jerome Balard, in 1825–1826...
, boron
Boron
Boron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...
, calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
, silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
, molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
.
History
Bishofite was discovered in the StaßfurtStaßfurt
Staßfurt is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on both sides of the river Bode, approximately northeast of Aschersleben, and south of Magdeburg. Pop. 23,538....
salt deposits in Germany by German geologist Gustav Bischof
Gustav Bischof
Karl Gustav Bischof was a German chemist, born in Nuremberg, Bavaria. He died in Bonn.He was a professor at Bonn and experimented on the inflammable power of gas.-Further reading:...
in the second half of 19th century. It is named “bishofite” in honor of its discoverer.
It is an evaporite
Evaporite
Evaporite is a name for a water-soluble mineral sediment that result from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporate deposits, marine which can also be described as ocean deposits, and non-marine which are found in standing bodies of...
formed in an ancient seabed which were deposited more than 200 million years ago, in the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
Period.
In 1930–1950, vast bishofit deposits were discovered near the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
in Russia. It is easily evaporated and is mined by dissolving underground dry mineral stratum with artesian water. The resulting brine is pumped out.
Deposits
Bishofite deposits differ by their composition: some of them are salt basins where bishofite is mixed with other minerals such as carnalliteCarnallite
Carnallite is an evaporite mineral, a hydrated potassium magnesium chloride with formula: KMgCl3·6. It is variably colored yellow to white, reddish, and sometimes colorless or blue. It is usually massive to fibrous with rare pseudohexagonal orthorhombic crystals...
, halite
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
, kieserite
Kieserite
Kieserite is a highly unstable magnesium sulfate mineral . It has a vitreous luster and it is colorless, grayish-white or yellowish. Its hardness is 3.5 and it has a monoclinic crystal system...
and anhydride. These are the so-called bishofite containing rocks which have pink-brown-yellow and orange-red colors. They contain 36–58% of bishofite. Carnallite deposits are known in Staßfurt, Germany – where bishofit was firstly discovered, and carnallite is one of the most important minerals in potassium salt deposits (Solykam deposit, Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
, Russia). Sub-surface bishofite layers were also discovered in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and US.
There are bishofite-rich deposits with concentrations of 93–96%. One of those rare deposits is in Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
region of Russia. Another one was found in 1990s in Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
region in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. This is one of the deepest (2,5 km) and thus oldest bishofite deposits.
Applications
Bishofite has many applications ranging from construction materials (tile, stone) to agriculture (preplant seeds, plant processing during vegetation period), oil extraction (for grouting and solidifying mortars), medical and chemical industry (production of magnesium metal).Bishofite is used in form of compresses to treat joint diseases such as arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion...
, rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
, radiculitis, calcaneal spur and traumas, especially in rehabilitation centers of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania. Bishofit is also applied in gel form.
Bishofit is used in production of the industrial Sorel cement
Sorel cement
Sorel cement is a non-hydraulic cement first produced by Frenchman Stanislas Sorel in 1867.The cement is a mixture of magnesium oxide with magnesium chloride with the approximate chemical formula Mg4Cl268, corresponding to a weight ratio of 2.5–3.5 parts MgO to one part MgCl2...
and synthetic carnallite
Carnallite
Carnallite is an evaporite mineral, a hydrated potassium magnesium chloride with formula: KMgCl3·6. It is variably colored yellow to white, reddish, and sometimes colorless or blue. It is usually massive to fibrous with rare pseudohexagonal orthorhombic crystals...
. Bishofit solution is applied to deice roads, similar to sodium chloride
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
, but less corrosive. It is also used in agriculture, veterinary medicine and cattle breeding to increase the crop yield and treat animals.