Mercury (element)

Mercury, ₈₀Hg
Mercury
Appearance	shiny, silvery liquid
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Hg)
	200.592±0.003; 200.59±0.01 (abridged);
Mercury in the periodic table
	gold ← mercury → thallium
Atomic number (Z)	80
Group	group 12
Period	period 6
Block	d-block
Electron configuration	[Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 2
Physical properties
Phase at STP	liquid
Melting point	234.3210 K (−38.8290 °C, −37.8922 °F)
Boiling point	629.88 K (356.73 °C, 674.11 °F)
Density (near r.t.)	13.546 g/cm3
Triple point	234.3156 K, 1.65 × 10−7 kPa
Critical point	1750 K, 172.00 MPa
Heat of fusion	2.29 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization	59.11 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity	27.983 J/(mol·K)
Atomic properties
Oxidation states	common: +1, +2; −2
Electronegativity	Pauling scale: 2.00
Ionization energies	1st: 1007.1 kJ/mol ; 2nd: 1810 kJ/mol ; 3rd: 3300 kJ/mol ; ;
Atomic radius	empirical: 151 pm
Covalent radius	132±5 pm
Van der Waals radius	155 pm
	Spectral lines of mercury
Other properties
Natural occurrence	primordial
Crystal structure	rhombohedral (hR1)
Lattice constants	ar = 301.06 pm; α = 70.529°; ah = 347.64 pm; ch = 673.20 pm (at triple point)
Thermal expansion	60.4 µm/(m⋅K) (at 25 °C)
Thermal conductivity	8.30 W/(m⋅K)
Electrical resistivity	961 nΩ⋅m (at 25 °C)
Magnetic ordering	diamagnetic
Molar magnetic susceptibility	−33.44×10−6 cm3/mol (293 K)
Speed of sound	liquid: 1451.4 m/s (at 20 °C)
CAS Number	7439-97-6
History
Naming	from the planet Mercury, with which it was associated in medieval alchemy
Discovery	Ancient Egyptians (before 1500 BCE)
Symbol	"Hg": from its Latin name hydrargyrum, itself from Greek hydrárgyros, 'water-silver'
Isotopes of mercury

Mercury is a chemical element; it has symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is commonly known as quicksilver. A heavy, silvery d-block element, mercury is the only metallic element that is known to be liquid at standard temperature and pressure;^[a] the only other element that is liquid under these conditions is the halogen bromine, though metals such as caesium, gallium, and rubidium melt just above room temperature.^[b]

Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide). The red pigment vermilion is obtained by grinding natural cinnabar or synthetic mercuric sulfide. Exposure to mercury and mercury-containing organic compounds is toxic to the nervous system, immune system and kidneys of humans and other animals; mercury poisoning can result from exposure to water-soluble forms of mercury (such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury) either directly or through mechanisms of biomagnification.

Mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, mercury switches, mercury relays, fluorescent lamps and other devices, although concerns about the element's toxicity have led to the phasing out of such mercury-containing instruments.^[11] It remains in use in scientific research applications and in amalgam for dental restoration in some locales. It is also used in fluorescent lighting. Electricity passed through mercury vapor in a fluorescent lamp produces short-wave ultraviolet light, which then causes the phosphor in the tube to fluoresce, making visible light.

^ "Standard Atomic Weights: Mercury". CIAAW. 2011.
^ Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (4 May 2022). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603. ISSN 1365-3075.
^ Fehlauer, H.; Bettin, H. (2004). "Density of mercury—measurements and reference values". Metrologia. 41 (2): S16 – S22. doi:10.1088/0026-1394/41/2/S02. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
^ Supplementary table for vapor pressures of the elements § 80 Hg
^ Brauer, G.; Haucke, W. (1 June 1936). "Kristallstruktur der intermetallischen Phasen MgAu und MgHg". Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie. 33B (1): 304–310. doi:10.1515/zpch-1936-3327. ISSN 2196-7156. MgHg then lends itself to an oxidation state of +2 for Mg and -2 for Hg because it consists entirely of these polar bonds with no evidence of electron unpairing. (translated)
^ Arblaster, John W. (2018). Selected Values of the Crystallographic Properties of Elements. Materials Park, Ohio: ASM International. ISBN 978-1-62708-155-9.
^ "Magnetic Susceptibility of the Elements And Inorganic Compounds" (PDF). www-d0.fnal.gov. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory: DØ Experiment (lagacy document). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
^ Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.
^ Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.
^ Mewes, J.-M.; Smits, O. R.; Kresse, G.; Schwerdtfeger, P. (2019). "Copernicium is a Relativistic Noble Liquid". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 58 (50): 17964–17968. Bibcode:2019ACIE...5817964M. doi:10.1002/anie.201906966. PMC 6916354. PMID 31596013.
^ "What is EPA doing about mercury air emissions?". United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[CIAAWmercury-1] "Standard Atomic Weights: Mercury". CIAAW. 2011.

[CIAAW2021-2] Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (4 May 2022). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603. ISSN 1365-3075.

[3] Fehlauer, H.; Bettin, H. (2004). "Density of mercury—measurements and reference values". Metrologia. 41 (2): S16 – S22. doi:10.1088/0026-1394/41/2/S02. Retrieved 8 July 2023.

[4] Supplementary table for vapor pressures of the elements § 80 Hg

[Brauer-1936-5] Brauer, G.; Haucke, W. (1 June 1936). "Kristallstruktur der intermetallischen Phasen MgAu und MgHg". Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie. 33B (1): 304–310. doi:10.1515/zpch-1936-3327. ISSN 2196-7156. MgHg then lends itself to an oxidation state of +2 for Mg and -2 for Hg because it consists entirely of these polar bonds with no evidence of electron unpairing. (translated)

[Arblaster_2018-6] Arblaster, John W. (2018). Selected Values of the Crystallographic Properties of Elements. Materials Park, Ohio: ASM International. ISBN 978-1-62708-155-9.

[7] "Magnetic Susceptibility of the Elements And Inorganic Compounds" (PDF). www-d0.fnal.gov. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory: DØ Experiment (lagacy document). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2015.

[8] Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

[NUBASE2020-9] Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.

[10] Mewes, J.-M.; Smits, O. R.; Kresse, G.; Schwerdtfeger, P. (2019). "Copernicium is a Relativistic Noble Liquid". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 58 (50): 17964–17968. Bibcode:2019ACIE...5817964M. doi:10.1002/anie.201906966. PMC 6916354. PMID 31596013.

[13] "What is EPA doing about mercury air emissions?". United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.

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