The stability of mercury comes from its filled 4f shell. Amalgams are alloys of mercury mixed with another element. When dissolved with mercury amalgams are formed. Mercury can be used quite readily to dissolve other metals including gold and silver. These flakes can actually be used as part of a mercury spill kit to absorb spilled mercury. Another applicable reaction with mercury is through the use of sulfur flakes. When dissolved, mercury gives off sulfate, nitrate, and chloride. Mercury does not quickly react with many acids, but can be dissolved by concentrated sulfuric or nitric acid. Mercury will generally aptly and quickly form weak bonds. Since mercury tends to behave as a noble gas, it is actually quite reactive. Mercury has received the nicknames liquid silver and quicksilver for its shiny metallic grey-white color and was used in part for its beauty throughout history. It has an extremely strong affinity for keeping its electrons, therefore making it behave as a noble gas. The reason mercury is a liquid at room temperature has to do with its electron configuration. When frozen, mercury is also so malleable that it can be cut with a knife. Because of this, mercury also has the lowest melting, boiling, and freezing point of any stable metal. Mercury is the only element located in the metals group that stands as a liquid at room temperature. ![]() Even a small amount of ingested mercury can cause very serious health issues including damage to the brain, kidneys, and lungs. This use has begun to decline rapidly however, as we now know that mercury poisoning is quite dangerous and easy to be inflicted by. Mercury has been used historically in quite a large number of ways. Mercury is a generally stable element with 7 stable isotopes. But in contrast to this, mercury does well with conducting electricity. This is not a surprise though as liquids are generally awful at holding heat. Mercury in Liquid Form by Fotalia/marcel is licensed under CC BY 2.0Īs far as metals go, mercury is a poor conductor of heat. Mercury itself does not corrode however, it can be used to melt many other elements including gold and silver. ![]() When it is found, it is found in the form of compounds inside of certain rocks. ![]() Mercury is also a rare element, and is nearly never found by itself in pure liquid state. It is extremely dense, meaning that it is quite heavy and behaves a bit differently than other liquids. However, mercury has the strange characteristic of being a liquid at STP, making it really stand out from its neighbors. Every single one of Mercury’s neighbors on the periodic table are metals strong, solid, metals. It was from this name that Hg was derived. The element’s previous name was hydrargyrum, and this Latinized Greek word translates to “water-silver”. Mercury’s chemical symbol of Hg comes from its root in Greek culture. It still is however, quite an important element in modern scientific research and other commercial functions. Mercury has a shiny silver appearance and has been used historically for a wide variety of things, but due to its toxicity its use has seen some decline. Mercury is a d-block element, making it a metal however, mercury has the extremely unique property of being the only metal to exist in a liquid state at STP (standard temp. Mercury is the 80 th element on the periodic table and is denoted by the symbol Hg.
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