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An old [10] pound coin (density ~7.6 g/cm 3) floats on mercury due to the combination of the buoyant force and surface tension. Mercury is a heavy, silvery-white metal that is liquid at room temperature. Compared to other metals, it is a poor conductor of heat, but a fair conductor of electricity.
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mercury (Hg), chemical element, liquid metal of Group 12 (IIb, or zinc group) of the periodic table.
Mercury was known in Egypt and also probably in the East as early as 1500 bce. The name mercury originated in 6th-century alchemy, in which the symbol of the planet was used to represent the metal; the chemical symbol Hg derives from the Latin hydrargyrum, “liquid silver.” Although its toxicity was recognized at an early date, its main application was for medical purposes.
Mercury is the only elemental metal that is liquid at room temperature. (Cesium melts at about 28.5 °C [83 °F], gallium at about 30 °C [86 °F], and rubidium at about 39 °C [102 °F].) Mercury is silvery white, slowly tarnishes in moist air, and freezes into a soft solid like tin or lead at −38.83 °C (−37.89 °F). It boils at 356.62 °C (673.91 °F).
It alloys with copper, tin, and zinc to form amalgams, or liquid alloys. An amalgam with silver is used as a filling in dentistry. Mercury does not wet glass or cling to it, and this property, coupled with its rapid and uniform volume expansion throughout its liquid range, made it useful in thermometers. (Mercury thermometers were supplanted by more accurate electronic digital thermometers in the early 21st century.) Barometers and manometers also used its high density and low vapour pressure. However, mercury’s toxicity has led to its replacement in these instruments. Gold and silver dissolve readily in mercury, and in the past this property was used in the extraction of these metals from their ores.
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The good electrical conductivity of mercury makes it exceptionally useful in sealed electrical switches and relays. An electrical discharge through mercury vapour contained in a fused silica tube or bulb produces a bluish glow rich in ultraviolet light, a phenomenon exploited in ultraviolet, fluorescent, and high-pressure mercury-vapour lamps. Some mercury is used in the preparation of pharmaceuticals and agricultural and industrial fungicides.
Mercury is a liquid metal of Group 12 of the periodic table, with various applications in medicine, industry, and science. Learn about its properties, occurrence, toxicity, and isotopes from Britannica.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Element Mercury (Hg), Group 12, Atomic Number 80, d-block, Mass 200.592. Sources, facts, uses, scarcity (SRI), podcasts, alchemical symbols, videos and images.
- Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
- Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid at standard temperature and pressure. The only other liquid element under standard conditions is bromine (a halogen), although the metals rubidium, cesium, and gallium melt at a temperature just above room temperature.
- Although mercury and all its compounds are known to be highly toxic, it was considered therapeutic throughout much of history.
- The modern element symbol for mercury is Hg, which is the symbol for another name for mercury: hydrargyrum. Hydrargyrum comes from Greek words for "water-silver" (hydr- means water, argyros means silver).
- Mercury is a very rare element in the Earth's crust. It accounts for only about 0.08 parts per million (ppm) and is mainly found in the mineral cinnabar, which is mercuric sulfide.
Jul 30, 2020 · Learn about mercury, the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature and pressure. Find out its properties, sources, isotopes, and how it affects the environment and human health.
Mercury, also known as quicksilver [1] or hydrargyrum (pronounced hai-DRAR-jər-əm), is a chemical element. Its symbol on the periodic table is Hg, and its atomic number is 80. Its atomic mass is 200.59. The symbol Hg stands for its Latinized Greek name hydrargyrum, meaning watery or liquid silver .
Mercury is a chemical element with symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum. Discovery and History. Mercury can be rightly considered as one of the elements with most ancient existence, and its discovery dates back to around 1500 B.C [1].
