Chemical Properties of the Intermetallic Compounds Mg[sub 2]Sn and Mg[sub 2]Pb

The intermetallic compounds and constitute two members of an analogous series of four stoichiometric compounds that magnesium forms with elements of the fourth group of the periodic table. The study of the physical and chemical properties of these compounds was undertaken to provide data concerning the constitution of such compounds, and also to provide a more complete understanding of corrosion mechanisms in alloys. The electrical properties have been reported elsewhere. Certain chemical properties are reported herewith. They include oxidation rates at high and low temperatures, galvanic potentials, rates of reaction in inorganic electrolytes, and a previously unreported form of crystallographic disintegration, occurring in distilled water and having a possible relation to stress corrosion cracking.