INTRODUCTION
Mercury formerly known as liquid silver and as quicksilver, was known to ancient civilizations, and no single individual is credited with having discovered it. When cooled to sufficiently low temperatures, mercury exhibits superconductivity.
Mercury is a shining, mobile liquid, silvery-white in color. Slightly volatile at room temperature, mercury becomes solid when subjected to a pressure of 7,640 atmospheres.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 80
- Atomic Mass
- 80
- Atomic radius
- 0.144
- Ionization energy
- 1007
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,32,18,2
- Principal Valency
- +2
- Density g/cm³
- 13.53
- Melting point °C
- -38.83
- Boiling point °C
- 356.73
- Type of Element
- Metal
- Electronegativity
- 1.9
- Element Category
- Zinc Group
- Appearance
- Silvery white solid
- Block
- d-block
- Period
- 6
- Group
- 12
- No of Isotopes
- 40
- Occurrence
- Free and combine
- Abundance in ppm
- 0.08
- Year of Discovery
- N/A
EXTRACTION
Found free or compounds easily decomposed by heat
OXIDATION STATES
+4,+2,+1 (Mildly basic)
MAJOR SOURCE
Cinnabar
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Mercuric sulfide, Mercury (I) chloride, Phenyl mercury (II) acetate
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* Mercury is used in thermometers because the change in volume for each degree of rise or fall in temperature is the same.
* It is used in other types of scientific apparatuses, such as vacuum pumps, barometers, and electric rectifiers and switches.
* Mercury compounds are used used as the pigment vermilion, electrodes, as disinfectants, germicides, and antiseptics.
* Mercury-vapor lamps are used as a source of ultraviolet light and for sterilizing water.
