Why is this element important in everyday life?
This element is important because it is used in thermometers and in barometers. Thermometers are very important; they help us see what the temperature of the body is and what it is like outside. We use barometers to measure the pressure outside. It can tell us what our weather is going to be like. Mercury is also used in batteries.
Where is this element found in nature?
It is found in its ore called Cinnabar (mercury sulfide).Cinnabar is found in places that has been full of volcanic activity. In these places, it probably precipitated from the hot waters. The main mine for cinnabar is at Almaden, Spain. This mine has been mined since the Roman times. Mercury is isolated from its ore by first crushing up the cinnabar and then heating it. This causes the mercury vapor to rise from it. Then the vapor is distilled.
What are the properties of the element?
General Characteristics =
It is a sliver liquid at room temperature. Most people think it is a metal but really, it is a metalloid. It is usually very unreactive. This element is not radioactive but it does give off a very harmful vapor. The vapor is known to be a carcinogen, or a cancer -causing agent.
Atomic Symbol = Hg
Period Number = 6
Group Number and Family Name =12: Metal
Atomic Number =80
Atomic Mass =200.59u
Density =13.546g/l
Melting Point =-38.87degrees Celsius
Boiling Point =356.58degrees Celsius
Electron Configuration =1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p66s24f145d10
Shorthand Notation =[Xe] 6s24f145d10
Common Reactions =Mercury is usually relatively unreactive. It won't react with either hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. However fuming nitric acid, which is an extremely corrosive oxidizing agent, will react violently with mercury. The equation for Mercury and Nitric acid goes as follows:
Mercury + Nitric acid YIELDS mercuric nitrate + nitrogen dioxide + water
Interesting Information =The ancient Greeks used mercury for medicine and also for disinfectants. The dust from the cinnabar is also known as Calomel, which is used to protect seedlings and crops from clubroot pest development in its roots. It used to be used for lighthouse lamp bearings (mercury baths were used to float lamp housings in lighthouses). It is a rare metal yet it was also one of the first metals found. The Chinese used it (cinnabar) for bright red colors of paint.
Who is Mongo ?
There once was this element named mercury that was really out of place. All of his friends called him Mongo. Unlike the rest of his metal friends he isn't solid he is a liquid. Even though his atomic symbol is Hg (two-letter abbreviation) his friends still have a hard time accepting him into the group. Mongo tries to brag about himself so his friends will like him, he tells them that he comes from an ore called cinnabar, which was mined from a mine in Spain but they don't care. He tells them that he is very rare yet he was also one of the first metals found, they still aren't very impressed. Mongo even told them about he was used in lighthouses to float the lamp housings, now they were becoming more interested in him. They started asking him to tell them more about himself. So he did and loved all of the attention while all of this was going on. Everything came out, from the gasses he released were considered carcinogens to his unreactive properties to the fact that he was in group 12 and period 6. After he was done telling all of the other metals about his history and other personal facts they actually started to like him. From then on he was considered one of the metals, despite all of his unique characteristics. This just to prove, if you give someone a chance you just might end up liking them after all.
