What is the difference between magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride.what is the use of these salts in agriculture soil?

Answer 1

Well the main difference between the two is that they are totally different compounds. Magnesium sulfate has derivatives of sulfur and oxygen when magnesisum chloride is a derivitive of chlorine. Magnesium sulfate has a polyatomic ion (sulfate); magnesium chloride is made of a cation and an anion. In the magnesium sulfate, the magnesium and the sulfate ion cancel the charges so the both have a charge of 0. In magnesium chloride, the magnesium cation has a charge of 0 while the chloride anion has a charge of 2-.

As for the uses of salts in agriculture, MgSO4 is often encountered as the heptahydrate epsomite (MgSO4·7H2O), commonly called Epsom salt. In agriculture and gardening, magnesium sulfate is used to correct magnesium deficiency in soil, since magnesium is an essential element in the chorophyll molecule. It is most commonly applied to potted plants, or to magnesium-hungry crops, such as potatoes, roses, tomatoes, peppers and cannabis. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil amendments (such as dolomitic lime) is its high solubility.

As for the magnesium chloride, its uses include using for dust and erosion control and for experimenting anti lipid effects in animals.