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Mercury (Hg)
We are a leading manufacturer and supplier of research materials
Mercury 80Hg200.59
Known to ancient civilisations.
[Named after the planet Mercury; Latin, hydrargyrum = liquid silver]
French: mercure
German: Quecksilber
Italian: mercurio
Spanish: mercurio
Description: Mercury is a liquid, silvery metal. It is stable in air and with water, and is unreactive towards acids (except concentrated HNO3) and alkalis. Mercury is used in the electrolysis cell for the manufacture of chlorine and sodium hydroxide by means of the electrolysis of brine, but is being phased out in favour of alternatives. Mercury is used in street lights, fungicides, electrical apparatus, etc.
Further Materials properties
| Crystal structure: |
(cell dimensions/pm), space group, |
|---|---|
| X-ray diffractions mass absorption coefficients: | CuKa 216 (µ/r) / cm2g-1 MoKa 117 (µ/r) / cm2g-1 |
| Neutron scattering length: | 1.266 b/10-12 cm |
| Thermal neutron capture cross-section: | 374 sa / barns |
| Density: | 13 546 kg/m-3 [293 K] |
| Melting point: | -38,87°C / 234.28°K |
| Boiling point: | 356.58°C / 629.73°K |
| Molar volume: | 14.81 cm3 |
| Thermal conductivity: | 8.34 [300 K] W m-1K-1 |
| Coefficient of linear thermal expansion: | 18.1 x 10-5 K-1 |
| Electrical resistivity: | 94.1 x 10-8 [273 K] Ωm |
| Mass magnetic susceptibility: | -2.095 x 10-9(l) kg-1m3 |
| Radi: | Hg2+ 112; Hg+ 127; atomic 160; covalent 144 |
| Electronegativity: | 2.00 (Pauling); 1.44 (Allred); 4.91 eV (absolute) |
| Effective nuclear charge: | 4.35 (Slater); 11.15 (Clementi); 16.22 (Froese-Fischer) |
| Number of Isotopes (incl. nuclear isomers): | 37 |
| Isotope mass range: | 178-> 206 |
Biological data
| Biological role: | None, although it is present in everything we eat. |
|---|---|
| Toxicity | |
| Toxic intake: | (metal vapour, human exposure) = 44 mg m-3 (8 hours) |
| Lethal intake: | LC50 (metal vapour, inhalation, rabbit) = 29 mg m-3 (30 hours) |
| Hazards: | Mercury vapour is poisonous by inhalation and should not exceed 0.1 mg m-3 in air. All mercury compounds are toxic, methyl mercury extremely so. Mercury affects the central nervous system and is teratogenic. |
| Level in humans | |
| Blood: | 0.0078 mg dm-3 |
| Bone: | 0.45 ppm |
| Liver: | 0.018 - 3.7 ppm |
| Muscle: | 0.02 - 0.7 ppm |
| Daily dietary intake: | 0.004 - 0.02 mg |
| Total mass of element in average [70 kg] person: |
6 mg |
Geological data
| Minerals: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral | Formula | Density | Hardness | Crystal apperance |
| Cinnabar | HgS | 8.09 | 2 - 2.5 | rhom. microcrystalline, scarlet mass |
| Chief ores: | cinnabar |
|---|---|
| World production: | 8400 tonnes/year |
| Main mining areas: | Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia |
| Reserves: | 590 000 tonnes |
| Specimen: | available as liquid of varying grades of purity of up to 99.9999%. Warning! |
| Abundances | |
|---|---|
| Sun: | < 125 (relative to H = 1 x 1012) |
| Earth's crust: | 0.05 ppm |
| Seawater | |
| Atlantic surface: | 4.9 x 10-7 ppm |
| Atlantic deep: | 4.9 x 10-7 ppm |
| Pacific surface: | 3.3 x 10-7 ppm |
| Pacific deep: | 3.3 x 10-7 ppm |
| Residence time: | n.a. |
| Classification: | scavenged |
| Oxidation state: | II |
Source: Emsley, J. (1998) The Elements (3rd Edition)
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