Mercury has the highest volatility and the highest vapour pressure of any metal, vapourizing to form a colorless, odorless gas. The metal is a good electrical conductor but a poor heat conductor. The atomic number of mercury is 80. Its most common isotope is mercury-199.
Characteristics of the Mercury Element:
The physical properties of mercury make it useful in scientific experiments and in certain industrial processes. It is a soft, malleable metal that can be cut with a knife or drawn into thin sheets. In fact, some ancient writings say that mercury can be molded like wax. Today, all mercury available for consumer use is produced from ore extracted from old gold mines or oil fields containing mercury mixed with other metals. The mercury is then purified by chemical treatment to remove other elements, especially zinc which is toxic to humans.
The characteristic color of mercuric chloride is yellow because the chlorine atoms attach themselves to the gold atom in the ore. When you burn mercuric chloride, only hydrogen, oxygen, and chlorine gases are given off. The heat it produces is very low compared to other metals.
In chemistry labs around the world, students often use mercury vapor in experiments because it is extremely reactive. A small amount of mercury will combine with other substances in many different ways - forming compounds that may not otherwise exist.
Mercury is a silvery-white liquid metal that is heavy. It is a poor conductor of heat yet a good conductor of electricity when compared to other metals. Heat moves from one place to another by particles called photons which have no mass and so cannot be captured or trapped by any substance. However, photons can pass through some substances, such as air, but they will do so almost instantly because there are many of them passing through at any given moment. Other substances such as gold block photons completely.
When mercury is exposed to heat, it begins to change state. As it does so, it becomes a better conductor of heat. This is why you usually see metal rods inserted into lamps for the lighting part of the lamp to conduct away some of the heat before it gets to the fragile glass bulb behind it. These rods are made of aluminum because its shape allows it to conduct heat well while still being lightweight enough not to affect the balance of the lamp too much.
Aluminum has two advantages over more conductive materials like iron or copper: first, its atomic weight is less than either iron or copper; second, aluminum has several alloys with other elements that increase its conductivity even further. For example, bronze is about half silver and half tin. Pewter is mostly copper with some silver added for its conductivity.
Physical characteristics Mercury is a silvery-white liquid metal that is heavy. The interior of Mercury is extremely hot, with an average surface temperature of 500° Celsius (932° Fahrenheit). This is because almost all of Mercury's mass is made up of iron and nickel which are both elements that lose energy when they become magnets. Thus, even though Mercury is a metallic element, it behaves more like a compound than a pure metal.
All metals are composed of electrons in the outer shell of an atom combined with its nucleus. But instead of moving further away from each other as the atoms combine, as electrons do in some other elements, the mercury atoms overlap with each other and form a single large electron cloud around their nuclei. Because of this behavior, scientists sometimes call mercury a metalloid, which is a general term for any element that has properties between those of a metal and an non-metal.
Even though mercury is mostly empty space, it does still contain some positive charge due to orbiting electrons. These electrons can move through solid objects without diffusing into them like particles would, since they have no physical location where they could be trapped. This is how electrons flow through electrical circuits, for example.
Mercury is a rather weak heat conductor. The majority of metals are excellent heat conductors. It is a low-voltage electrical conductor. Mercury has the closest freezing point (-38.8 C) and boiling point (356 C) of any metal. Although it is a liquid at standard pressure, mercury will vaporize at about 400 degrees Celsius (750 degrees Fahrenheit). When it does so, it can become toxic.
There are two main types of mercury: elemental mercury and organic mercury. Elemental mercury is pure mercury; it cannot be dissolved in anything other than itself. Organic mercury can be dissolved in alcohol or oil. Both forms are hazardous to humans and the environment because they can leak into soil and water or be burned off during treatment with oxygen or air as well as burn easily in flame. The only use for elemental mercury that most governments approve is small quantities for laboratory research purposes.
Organic mercury is found in products such as thermometers and barometers that contain mercury. If you throw out your thermometer or barometer, make sure to take it away from children or pets who may put them in their mouth. There are disposal sites for mercury used in medical equipment where local authorities will do the dumping for you.
People who work with mercury should wear protective clothing and facilities should be designed to prevent accidental exposure.
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