Magnesium, the element with atomic number 12 and symbol Mg, is used in fireworks.
When magnesium burns, it produces an intense brilliant-white light and reaches a very high temperature. Firework makers use magnesium powder or flakes to create bright flashes and white sparks. The same light-producing property made magnesium valuable in early photographic flash powder, marine signal flares, and some theatrical effects.
Magnesium is a shiny, lightweight metal in group 2 of the periodic table, the alkaline earth metals. It is not normally found as a free element in nature because it reacts readily and occurs in compounds such as magnesite, dolomite, and carnallite. Commercial magnesium can be produced from mineral sources or from magnesium chloride obtained from seawater and brines.
A common confusion is between magnesium and manganese: their names sound similar, but manganese is a different element with atomic number 25 and symbol Mn. Magnesium is also not the main color-producing element in every firework. Other metals create characteristic colors—for example, strontium commonly produces red and barium produces green—while magnesium is especially valued for brightness and white light.