Our Location
Is Mercury Magnetic
Mercury, represented by the symbol Hg and atomic number 80, is a heavy, silver-white metal that stands out for being the only elemental metal that is liquid at room temperature. While it is a poor conductor of heat than other metals, it is a adequate conductor of electricity. Mercury is extremely rare in the Earth’s crust and primarily occurs as cinnabar. Exposure to mercury and its organic compounds is toxic and can negatively impact the nervous and immune systems and kidneys in humans and other animals.
Definition
Mercury is a chemical element and the only liquid metal at room temperature. It is also known as quicksilver and appears as a heavy, silvery-white liquid. Mercury is classified as a transition metal.
Mercury, as a chemical element, cannot be created or destroyed. The same amount has existed on earth since the planet was formed. Mercury can cycle through the environment as a result of both natural processes and human activities. It has also found a variety of new applications in electrical devices and electrochemistry. As a volatile liquid, mercury has a measurable vapor pressure at room temperature.
History
Mercury was discovered in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1500 BC; cinnabar, the most ordinary natural source of mercury, has been utilized since the Neolithic Age.
In China and Tibet, mercury was believed to prolong life, heal fractures, and maintain good health. However, it is now known that exposure to mercury vapor has serious adverse health effects. The first emperor of a unified China, Qín Shǐ Huáng Dì, is said to be buried in a tomb that contains rivers of flowing mercury, designed to represent the waterways of the land he ruled. He reportedly died after consuming a mixture of mercury and powdered jade, created by Qin alchemists as an elixir of immortality.
Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, the second Tulunid ruler of Egypt (r. 884–896), was known for his extravagance and excess. He is said to have constructed a basin filled with mercury, where he would lie on air-filled cushions and be rocked to sleep.
In November 2014, “a large amount” of mercury was found in a chamber located 60 feet below the 1,800-year-old pyramid taken for the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, which is the third-largest pyramid at Teotihuacan in Mexico. Along with the mercury, archaeologists also found jaguar remains, jade statues, and a box filled with carved shells and rubber balls. Additionally, a mercury pool was found beneath a marker in a Mesoamerican ballcourt in Lamanai, once a major city of the Maya civilization.
Mercury Physical Properties
Mercury metal can freeze and become solid at -38.85°C. It can turn into a gas when heated to 365.6°C. The mercury density is 13.59 g/cm3.
There are two physical properties that are particularly noteworthy.
- The surface tension is extremely high.
- A highly efficient conductor of electricity.
Surface tension is a property of liquids that leads them to behave as if they are covered with a skin. This property makes liquids good conductors of electricity and is utilized in mercury switches to turn lights on and off.
Mercury is the other liquid metal. In practice, there is only one other liquid element: bromine, which is a non-metallic substance. Mercury can freeze (change into a solid) at a temperature of -38.85 °C (-37.93 °F). It can also be transformed into a gas (boiled) at 365.6 °C (690.1 °F). Its density is 13.59 g/cm3.
Mercury is an excellent conductor of electricity, which makes it useful in various functional devices. One example is a mercury switch, commonly used to turn lights on and off. This switch typically contains a small amount of mercury in a tiny glass capsule.
To allow for tipping back and forth, the capsule can be designed accordingly. As it tips, the mercury moves from one end to the other. When the mercury is at one end of the capsule, it creates an electric current that flows through a circuit. Conversely, no current will flow where there is no mercury. Mercury switches are simple to manufacture and can be produced quickly.
Mercury Chemical Properties
Mercury is somewhat reactive. It doesn’t react with oxygen in the air. It may react with some acids when heated but not with most cold acids.
- Mercury is a chemical element normally known as “quicksilver.” It is silver in color and can change state quickly.
- Mercury is used in thermometers because it reacts to temperature changes. It expands at high temperatures and contracts at low temperatures.
- Once mercury enters the body, it isn’t easy to eliminate. Many rivers and streams are contaminated with mercury.
- Mercury is used in the production of lights and batteries. It is utilized in electrical switches and can also be found in rat poisons and insecticides. Additionally, it has applications in medicine.
Is Mercury Magnetic?
Mercury is a particular chemical element that can be found in water, soil, and the air. If you’ve been wondering whether it is magnetic, the answer is that mercury is not very magnetic at all at room temperature. It has a minimal, negative magnetic susceptibility, meaning that mercury magnetizes only slightly in the opposite direction when placed in a magnetic field. This property classifies mercury as a weakly diamagnetic substance at room temperature.
Factors Affect Mercury Magnetism
- Mercury is naturally diamagnetic because its atomic structure contains paired electrons.
- The cage diffusion phenomenon occurs when atoms within a liquid move closer together. This proximity causes electrons to escape from their inner, filled shells, forming magnetic moments. These magnetic moments cause mercury to either repel strongly or weakly in the presence of external magnetic fields. When the atoms move apart, their electron shells reorganize, filling up and pairing the electrons once again.
- Mercury is diamagnetic because it has paired electrons within its atomic structure.
Applications
Mercury metal has a variety of applications due to its high density. It is commonly used in thermometers, manometers, barometers, sphygmomanometers, mercury switches, mercury relays, float valves, and fluorescent lamps. In dental clinics, mercury is utilized to fill cavities, and it is also found in food manufacturing processes.
The mercury compounds have many uses:
- Calomel, or mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2), is used as a standard in electrochemical measurements and as a purgative in medicine.
- Mercuric chloride, also known as corrosive sublimate (HgCl2), is used as an insecticide, particularly as rat poison and disinfectant.
- Mercuric oxide is utilized in ointments for skin treatment.
- Mercuric sulfate is utilized as a catalyst in organic chemistry.
Mercury is commonly used in various instruments, including barometers, thermometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, mercury switches, mercury relays, and fluorescent lamps. However, due to concerns about its toxicity, mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers are increasingly being phased out in clinical settings. Alternatives such as glass thermometers and thermometers filled with alcohol or galinstan are preferred. Similarly, mercury sphygmomanometers are being replaced by mechanical pressure gauges and electronic strain gauge sensors.
Is Mercury Dangerous to Touch?
Mercury is a extremely toxic substance that can be encountered in various ways. If swallowed, such as from a broken thermometer, it mainly travels through the body with minimal absorption. Touching mercury may allow a small amount to pass through the skin, but this is typically not enough to cause harm.
What Is Special About the Mercury Element?
Mercury has a beautiful appearance, but its bright, fast-moving liquid form can be extremely harmful to humans. The mercury symbol, Hg, derives from its Greek name, “hydrargyrum,” which means “liquid silver,” reflecting its shiny color. However, mercury is a highly toxic substance.
Summary
Understanding the unique properties of mercury and its magnetic characteristics will clarify you.
