![]() When the amalgam is heated, the mercury vaporizes, leaving pure gold or silver. Ore containing gold or silver would be crushed and treated with mercury, which rejects impurities, to form a mercury alloy, called an amalgam. ![]() As long ago as Roman times, people had learned to extract mercury from ore and used it to purify gold and silver. ![]() Many ancient civilizations were familiar with this element. The element ’s modern name comes from Mercury (or Mercurius), the fleet-footed messenger of the gods in Roman mythology. This name reflected mercury ’s unusually lively behavior: when it is poured onto a smooth surface, it forms beads that roll rapidly around at a touch. The ancient name for mercury was quicksilver, meaning living silver. It is silvery in appearance and, unlike all other metals, is liquid at room temperature. Other uses are in making pesticides, Mercury cells for caustic soda and chlorine production, dental preparations, anti-fouling paint, batteries, and catalysts.Mercury is a metallic chemical element identified by the symbol Hg. and is used in mercury switches and other electronic apparatus. It is used in making mercury-vapor lamps and advertising signs, etc. The metal is widely used in laboratory work for making thermometers, barometers, diffusion pumps, and many other instruments. The triple point of mercury, -38.8344C, is a fixed point on the International Temperature Scale (ITS-90). Methyl mercury is a dangerous pollutant and is now widely found in water and streams. If it is necessary to heat mercury or mercury compounds, it should be done in a well-ventilated hood. Containers of mercury should be securely covered and spillage should be avoided. It is important therefore that mercury be handled with care. The danger increases at higher temperatures. Air saturated with mercury vapor at 20☌ contains a concentration that exceeds the toxicity limits. It acts as a cumulative poison and dangerous levels are readily attained in air. Mercury is a virulent poison and is readily absorbed through the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, or through unbroken skin. ![]() These products, held together with van der Waals' forces, correspond to HgNe, HgAr, HgKr, and HgXe. It has been found that an electrical discharge causes mercury vapor to combine with neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. The most important salts are mercury chloride (corrosive sublimate - a violent poison), mercurous chloride (calomel, occasionally still used in medicine), mercury fulminate, a detonator widely used in explosives, and mercuric sulfide (vermilion, a high-grade paint pigment). Its ease in amalgamating with gold is made use of in the recovery of gold from its ores. It easily forms alloys with many metals, such as gold, silver, and tin, which are called amalgams. It is a heavy, silvery-white metal a rather poor conductor of heat, as compared with other metals, and a fair conductor of electricity. The metal is obtained by heating cinnabar in a current of air and by condensing the vapor. The commercial unit for handling mercury is the "flask," which weighs 76 lb. The chief ore is cinnabar Spain and Italy produce about 50% of the world's supply of the metal. Mercury is the only common metal liquid at ordinary temperatures. Known to ancient Chinese and Hindus found in Egyptian tombs of 1500 B.C. Back to Elements List Mercury Atomic Number:įrom Greek hydoor.
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