Magnesium is one of the most essential cations in the human body. It has many enzymatic functions as well as important roles in energy metabolism and blood clotting. It is a cofactor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions and is involved in many biochemical processes, including protein synthesis and the transport of nutrients across cell membranes.
In the body, magnesium is mainly deposited in bones and muscle. It can also be found in the soft tissues, serum and red blood cells. The average adult has 1000 mmol or 24 g of magnesium in the body.
How is magnesium made?
Magnesium atoms have 12 protons and 13 neutrons in their nucleus. This number, which is called the atomic number, determines how many electrons a magnesium atom has.
There are three main types of magnesium atoms, called isotopes. These are magnesium-24, magnesium-25 and magnesium-26.
What does each atomic number mean?
Each atomic number tells us how many protons and neutrons are in the nucleus. The atomic number is also used to determine how much the element weighs.
25 magnesium has a relatively low sensitivity and yields slightly broad lines over a moderate chemical shift range (fig.1). The signal is quadrupolar and it is possible to measure its relaxation rate in order to detect binding to biomolecules.