Ionic Magnesium, what is it?

Posted by ITL Health on 30th May 2023

Ionic Magnesium, what is it?

When Magnesium Carbonate and Citric Acid are combined with water, they convert into ionic magnesium citrate. The addition of hot water causes the carbonate in the magnesium carbonate to disperse which causes a “fizz”. The magnesium ion is then forced to bind to the citric acid, creating ionic magnesium citrate.

Naturobotanica stocks MAG365 Ionic Magnesium, what makes them different?

If one mixes up MAG365 in a glass of warm or hot water and allows it to finish fizzing, you will see the MAG365 formulation appears translucent like water and looks as if nothing were added. This also happens in cold water, but it takes longer. A natural result of the slower reaction is that the fizzing is not witnessed.

However, if one then mixes many other brands of magnesium citrate powder in a glass of water, there will be a clear and obvious difference. There will be no “fizz” or activation process and the competing magnesium citrate powder will have settled on the bottom of the glass, often leaving the liquid murky and unblended.

Why is it that? Because MAG365 is in an ionic solution. There is a difference in the science between how MAG365 magnesium citrate behaves and how other magnesium citrate powders behave, and understanding the difference is where words like “ionic” and “salt” come into play. These words are common in the industry and are used in the way that “organic” is the industry standard for pesticide-free food.

Defining Ionic

In chemistry, there are two main types of bonds; covalent and ionic. A covalent bond is formed between two non-metallic atoms, which is characterized by the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms and other covalent bonds.1 An ionic bond is formed from an attraction between a positively and negatively charged ion, and is almost always formed between a metal and a non-metal.

By this elemental definition, all magnesium citrate is technically coupled together by an ionic bond,2 and one might assume that all magnesium citrate is “ionic.” That definition is correct if referring exclusively to the difference between covalent and ionic bonds.

Defining Organic

In chemistry, an organic compound is any chemical compound that contains carbon. By this definition, oil and gasoline are organic compounds. 3

Equally, if someone were to say, "all foods are organic," they would be technically correct because all foods contain carbon compounds.

Defining Salt

According to the principles of chemistry, a salt is “a solid chemical compound consisting of an assembly of cations and anions.” Salts are composed of related numbers of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negative ions) so that the product is electrically neutral (without a net charge).4 There are positive and negative ions; cations are positive and anions are negative. Table salt it is a solid chemical compound consisting of Sodium cations (+) and Chlorine anions (-).

Magnesium citrate is also a salt, a solid chemical compound consisting of Magnesium cations (++) and Citrate anions (--). Both examples have “ionic” bonds because they have a metal (Sodium, Magnesium) and a non-metal (Chlorine, and Citrate).6 More specifically, magnesium citrate is a magnesium preparation in salt form with citric acid in a 3:2 ratio (three magnesium atoms per two citrate molecules).

MAG365 is a magnesium citrate with a 1:1 ratio, i.e. one Mg++ to one C7H6O7++. This ratio is much more absorbable than the common 3:2 ratio of magnesium citrate in salt form.

MAG365 is ionic because the molecules dissociate when the chemical reaction occurs.

MAG365 (unflavoured) is comprised of two ingredients; Magnesium Carbonate (MgCO3) and Citric Acid (C6H8O7). When you add it to water you get the chemical reaction MgCO3 + C6H8O7 --> C6H6MgO7 + H2O (water) + CO2 (Fizz).

In other words, you get a dissociated magnesium and citrate molecule, a water molecule and a carbon dioxide molecule.

Defining Dissociation

The definition of dissociation in chemistry is “a general process in which molecules (or ionic compounds such as salts) separate or split into smaller particles such as atoms, ions, or radicals, usually in a reversible manner.”5

This dissociation into smaller parts such as ions is referred to as “ionic,” and it is what makes MAG365 highly bioavailable to the body. Technically we should say that MAG365 is a dissociated magnesium citrate; however, we feel that ionic magnesium citrate is easier understood by the public.

Whether loose or in a capsule, consuming powdered magnesium citrate – which is in a salt form – requires your stomach acid to “ionise” or activate the magnesium citrate salt into magnesium and citrate ions. This is also known as digesting and is what your stomach does to absorb all minerals.

Because magnesium citrate is a salt, it doesn’t ionise easily in the body for many of us, which translates to poorer absorption rates. MAG365, on the other hand, is pre-digested in the mug as it is already in an ionic form.

If you leave MAG365 alone for long enough, the magnesium citrate salt will precipitate out and you will observe a white powder at the bottom of the liquid. At this point, the product is no longer dissociated (ionic) and is akin the aforementioned powders you find in jars or capsules.