Magnesium metal burns in air to form a white ash . On treating the white ash with water, odour of ammonia is detected. Explain.

Explanation

To explain the phenomenon of magnesium burning in air and the subsequent detection of ammonia when the white ash is treated with water, we can break down the explanation into several steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Burning of Magnesium in Air:**
- When magnesium metal is burned in air, it reacts with both oxygen and nitrogen present in the atmosphere. The reaction with oxygen produces magnesium oxide (MgO), and the reaction with nitrogen produces magnesium nitride (Mg3N2).
- **Chemical Equations:**
- \( 2Mg + O_2 \rightarrow 2MgO \)
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