Observations of the galvanostatic dissolution of pure magnesium

The dissolution of pure magnesium in 0.1 M NaCl under galvanostatic polarisation is reconciled in real time via video imaging of specially designed working electrodes that permit geometrically uniform dissolution. The dissolution stoichiometry was observed to be centred about n = 2, however this varies according to the magnitude of the applied current. Applied currents densities <1 mA/cm2 display n ≈ 1.75–2, whilst densities >1 mA/cm2 display n ⩾ 2, the latter related to a significant increase in electrolyte pH during testing.