El óxido de magnesio (MgO), o magnesia, es un compuesto químico mineral sólido higroscópico blanco que se produce en la naturaleza como periclasa y es una fuente de magnesio. Tiene la fórmula empírica de MgO y se compone de un enrejado de iones Mg2+ y los iones O2- unidos por enlace iónico. Forma hidróxido de magnesio en presencia de agua (MgO + H2O → Mg (OH)2), pero puede ser revertida por calentamiento para separar la humedad. El óxido de magnesio se conoce históricamente como magnesia alba (literalmente, el mineral blanco de Magnesia - otras fuentes dan magnesia alba, como el MgCO3), para diferenciarlo de la magnesia negra, un mineral negro que contiene lo que hoy se conoce como óxido de manganeso (II).

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Magnesium oxide (MgO), or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium (see also oxide). It has an empirical formula of MgO and consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2− ions held together by ionic bonding. Magnesium hydroxide forms in the presence of water (MgO + H2O → Mg(OH)2), but it can be reversed by heating it to separate moisture. Magnesium oxide was historically known as magnesia alba (literally, the white mineral from magnesia - other sources give magnesia alba as MgCO3), to differentiate it from magnesia negra, a black mineral containing what is now known as manganese. While "magnesium oxide" normally refers to MgO, magnesium peroxide MgO2 is also known as a compound. According to evolutionary crystal structure prediction, MgO2 is thermodynamically stable at pressures above 116 GPa (gigapascals), and a totally new semiconducting suboxide Mg3O2 is thermodynamically stable above 500 GPa. Because of its stability, MgO is used as a model system for investigating vibrational properties of crystals.

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