Magnesium vs Aluminum

Side-by-side comparison of Magnesium (Mg, element 12) and Aluminum (Al, element 13) by atomic structure and physical properties.

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PropertyMg Magnesium Al Aluminum
Atomic number1213
SymbolMgAl
NameMagnesiumAluminum
Categoryalkaline-earth-metalpost-transition-metal
Standard Atomic Weight24.3055 u26.981538 u
Period33
Group213
Blocksp
Phase at STPSolidSolid
Electron configuration[Ne]3s2[Ne]3s23p1
Oxidation states[0, 1, 2][-2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3]
Electronegativity (Pauling)1.311.61
Electron affinity-0.4 eV0.4328 eV
Density1740 kg/m³2700 kg/m³
Melting point649.85 °C660.287 °C
Boiling point1089.85 °C2518.85 °C
Discovery year17551825

Key Differences

PropertyMg MagnesiumAl Aluminum
Standard Atomic Weight24.3055 u ↓ lower26.981538 u ↑ higher
Density1740 kg/m³ ↓ lower2700 kg/m³ ↑ higher
Melting point649.85 °C ↓ lower660.287 °C ↑ higher
Boiling point1089.85 °C ↓ lower2518.85 °C ↑ higher
Electronegativity (Pauling)1.31 ↓ lower1.61 ↑ higher
Electron affinity-0.4 eV ↓ lower0.4328 eV ↑ higher
Group2 13
Blocks p
Categoryalkaline-earth-metal post-transition-metal
Electron configuration[Ne]3s2 [Ne]3s23p1
Discovery year1755 1825