Mercury :: essays research papers

quick funds quicksilver is a metallic element that is a swimming at room temperature, itis one of the transition elements. Mercurys atomic number is 80. It issuperconductive when cooled to within a few degrees of absolute zero. Mercurywas once known as liquid silver or quicksilver which was studied by thealchemists. Mercury was eldest distinguished as an element by the French chemistAntoine Laurent Lavoisier in his experiment on the composition of air. At roomtemperature hydrargyrum is a shining, moving liquid that has a silvery-white color,and slightly volatile. Mercury remains a liquid over a wide temperature range.Mercury is a satisfying when given a pressure of 7640 atmospheres (5.8 million torrs).It dissolves in nitric or concentrated sulfuric acid but is resistant toalkalies. Mercury melts at -39C, boils at about 357C,and has a gravity of 13.5.The atomic weight of hectogram is 200.59. Mercury comes in its pure take shape orcombined with silver in small amounts. It is mos tly found in the form of thesulfide.Mercury has many utilizes and is a very important element. A major use of mercury is in electrical equipment such as fluorescent lamps, and mercurybatteries. Mercury is utilise in thermometers because the change in volume for to each one degree of rise or fall in temperature is the same. The use of mercury inthe thermometer instead of alcohol was done by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit in 1714.It was also used in vacuum pumps, barometers, and electric rectifiers andswitches. Mercury is used in a mercury-vapor lamps which are used as a obtainof ultraviolet rays in homes and for sterilizing water. Mercury-vapor is alsoused instead of steam in the boilers of some turbine engines. Mercury issometimes used for amalgamation. Amalgamation is a metallurgical process thatutilizes mercury to dissolve silver or gold to form an amalgam. This processhas been largely supplanted by the cyanide process, in which gold or silver is