What does the result of the reaction of magnesium sulfate and sodium carbonate look like?
As to what it look like, I cannot tell you exactly because I have never specifically made magnesium carbonate by this reaction, as there’s really no need to (I have pure magnesium metal which is easier to do stoichiometry with). I HAVE, however, made magnesium hydroxide by mixing Epsom salts (MgSO4+7H2O) and lye solutions. You mix the two quickly and if the solutions are concentrated enough they will actually turn virtually solid! Back in a textbook copy from the 1800’s I read they called it a “chemical miracle.” Anyways, when they’re mixed they suddenly become thick and white and turns into a thick paste, mostly water held thick by a paste of magnesium hydroxide. Insoluble metal hydroxides have a tendency to “gellify” (more like paste-ify) solutions when they form. Reacting Epsom salt and sodium carbonate will produce a large amount of white precipitate, but it probably won’t gellify unless the concentrations are really high. In my experience, insoluble carbonates tend to precipitate
