Element Family
Transition Metal
Lanthanide
Space Group Name
R_ 3m
P63/mmc
Interesting Facts
- At room temperature mercury is found in a liquid state.
- A coin of pound or rupees floats in mercury.
- Because of its low melting point and boiling point it is used in thermometers.
- Erbium metal is used as alloyed with Vanadium to make it softer.
- Recent studies shows that it is helpful for metabolism.
Sources
Mining, Ores of Minerals
Mining
Who Discovered
Ancient Chinese and Indians
Carl Gustaf Mosander
Discovery
Before 2000 BCE
In 1842
Abundance In Earth's Crust
Uses & Benefits
- It is a liquid metal at room temperature, but it is a toxic heavy metal and hence many uses of mercury are under review or phased out.
- It is manly used as a catalysts in chemical industry.
- It has a tendency to get tarnished in the open air, but when alloyed with elements like erbium, vanadium, its hardness levels decreases.
- Its compounds like Erbium oxide is used in safety glasses of welders and metal workers.
Industrial Uses
Electrical Industry, Electronic Industry
Chemical Industry
Other Uses
Alloys, Mirror Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical Industry
Alloys
Toxicity
Highly Toxic
Mildly Toxic
Present in Human Body
Yes
No
Physical State
Liquid
Solid
Color
Silver
Silvery White
Pauling Electronegativity
Sanderson Electronegativity
Allred Rochow Electronegativity
Mulliken-Jaffe Electronegativity
Pauling Electropositivity
Electrochemical Equivalent
Other Chemical Properties
Flammability, Ionization, Solubility
Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes, Solubility
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2
[Xe] 4f12 6s2
Crystal Structure
Rhombohedral (RHO)
Hexagonal Close Packed (HCP)
Crystal Lattice
RHO-Crystal-Structure-of-Mercury.jpg#100
HCP-Crystal-Structure-of-Erbium.jpg#100
Valence Electron Potential
Lattice Angles
-
π/2, π/2, 2 π/3
Density At Room Temperature
Density When Liquid (at m.p.)
Other Mechanical Properties
-
Malleable
Magnetic Ordering
Diamagnetic
Paramagnetic
Electrical Property
Conductor
Conductor