Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust although not found in it's elemental form. It is a Group 2 therefore classes as an alkaline earth metal.

Magnesium tarnishes slightly in air, and finely divided magnesium readily ignites upon heating in air and burns with a dazzling white flame. Normally magnesium is coated with a layer of oxide, MgO, that protects magnesium from air and water.