Mg(tart) (tart = tartrate) was invoked in a recent scheme of potash recovery from sea bittern employing tartaric acid as a selective precipitant. In the present study, Mg(L-tart) and Mg(D,L-tart) were prepared through room temperature stoichiometric reactions of an aqueous slurry of magnesium hydroxide with aqueous solutions of L-and D,L-tartaric acid, respectively. The racemic suspension was found to be more readily filterable, with lower moisture retention in the wet cake. The findings were consistent with the larger average particle size and lower surface area of Mg(D,L-tart) compared to Mg(L-tart). Morphological examination of the dry solids revealed that Mg(L-tart) particles had irregular shapes, whereas Mg(D,L-tart) was obtained mostly in the form of rectangular tubes, with copresence of a few cross structures. Some of the crosses were intact, while others were seen to be fractured at the junction. Their complete cleavage may be one mechanism for formation of the rectangular tubes. Cross structures have, so far, not been reported for any metal organic framework. Powder XRD (X-ray diffraction) profiles of the solids matched well with those simulated from previously reported single crystal XRD data of layered MgThe TGA profiles and elemental analyses were also in good agreement. The results were largely similar when the solids were synthesized from potassium bitartrate salts. The only exception was the higher water retention by the racemate, which was attributed to agglomeration effects.