Overview of Mercury
Have you ever wondered what the silver-coloured stuff present in the thermometer is? It is a metallic element called mercury. Here's your chance to discover everything you could want to know about mercury, a metal that's liquid at room temperature with some pretty interesting properties. Throughout the centuries, mercury has had many roles, from being used in lamps and thermometers to even being used in microscopes and dental amalgams!
Let’s dive in deeper and learn more about mercury uses in everyday life, where is mercury found and much more.
Discovery of Mercury
No contemporary written records mention the discovery of mercury. It is uncertain when the discovery was made, and it is unknown who made the discovery. Mercury metal has been mentioned in various historical documents, including literature and legend, but there were many mentions of mercury being used for preparing medicines and much more.
Sources of Mercury
Mercury can be found naturally in the air, soil, and water. It occurs in various forms, such as inorganic, elemental, or organic compounds, depending on its speciation.
Methylmercury, a form of mercury, results from microorganisms in the ocean breaking down mercury-containing organic matter.
Inorganic mercury mostly comes from coal-burning power plants releasing it into the environment.
Elemental mercury is released by extensive industrial processes like gold mining.
Your exposure to these forms of mercury could differ greatly depending on where you live. But regardless of how it makes its way into our environment, mercury poses a serious health risk to people and animals.
Characteristics and Properties of Mercury
The characteristics and properties of mercury are as follows:
Mercury is a metallic element with a silvery, shiny appearance and silver-white colour.
Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature.
Mercury is a highly toxic, silvery-white liquid metal that boils at 357 degrees Celsius.
It is heavy, with one cubic inch weighing 13.5 pounds.
Mercury’s density doesn’t change much as it freezes or melts and expands slightly on heating or cooling.
Solid mercury has a low coefficient of friction, and “wets” glass, just like water does, with the ability to seep through microscopic openings to form droplets on the other side of glass barriers.
Mercury is toxic, and its exposure in high concentrations can lead to death. exposure to mercury vapour occurs in various ways - inhalation (breathing), ingestion (eating), or skin contact (touching).
Uses of Mercury
Mercury is used in a variety of everyday activities in our everyday lives. Below are a few instances of such applications:
Thermometers
One of the most common real-world uses of the mercury element is in thermometers, which record and display temperatures of nearby objects or the surrounding air. The body temperature of a living thing, the temperature inside an oven, the temperature of meat, etc. are some of the daily uses of thermometers. The majority of thermometers operate primarily, thanks to the characteristics of mercury. There are applications for mercury thermometers in the home, in business, in industry, and research.
Thermometer
Fluorescent Lamps
Typically, a fluorescent lamp or tube consists of a glass tube, a phosphor coating, two electrodes, and a gas filling. A gas discharge occurs between the electrodes of the lamp or tube when the voltage is kept at the operational level. As a result of this discharge, the charged particles or electrons move along the field produced by the electrodes and strike the gas atoms.
Fluorescent Lamp
Liquid Mirror Telescopes
A telescope that uses a liquid substance as the reflective surface is known as a liquid mirror telescope. Mercury is preferred as the material that is typically utilised to build liquid mirror telescopes.
Light Mirror Telescope
Dental Amalgams
Dental amalgam is a filling substance that is typically used by dentists and medical professionals to treat tooth decay and to fill cavities in teeth. Fundamentally, dental amalgam is created by combining various metals, including mercury, silver, tin, copper, etc.
Dental Amalgam
Vaccines
Another example of a mercury-using application is the vaccine industry. Thimerosal is an organic molecule with a mercury base that is present in several vaccines.
Vaccines
Summary
In this article, we have learnt about Mercury, its discovery, properties and uses. Mercury is a shiny, silver liquid metal that exists in nature as an elemental metallic vapor. When it's touched or heated it becomes liquid and conducts electricity easily. It is a fascinating metal that is used in many applications like thermometers, lamps, and much more. It has been known for a long time that mercury is toxic to humans and animals. We have also covered its properties and the discovery in this article.
FAQs on Mercury Uses in Everyday Life
1. What is mercury and what makes it a unique element?
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg. It is unique because it is the only metal that is a liquid at standard room temperature and pressure. This property, along with its high density and ability to conduct electricity, makes it useful for various applications.
2. What are the most common uses of mercury in everyday life?
Historically, mercury has been used in a wide range of products. Some of the most common applications include:
- Thermometers: To measure body temperature or air temperature.
- Barometers and Manometers: To measure atmospheric pressure.
- Fluorescent Lamps and Bulbs: Mercury vapour is essential for producing light in these bulbs.
- Electrical Switches: Used in thermostats and other devices to complete an electrical circuit.
- Batteries: Some types of batteries, particularly 'button' batteries, used to contain mercury.
- Dental Amalgams: Mixed with other metals to create fillings for teeth.
3. How does mercury work inside a traditional thermometer?
In a traditional glass thermometer, a small amount of mercury is sealed in a narrow tube. Mercury has the property of uniform thermal expansion, which means it expands when heated and contracts when cooled at a predictable rate. As the temperature rises, the mercury expands and moves up the tube, indicating the temperature on a marked scale. When it gets colder, the mercury contracts and moves down.
4. Why is mercury considered dangerous to humans and the environment?
Mercury is highly toxic. Exposure to mercury, even in small amounts, can cause serious health problems. It can damage the nervous system, kidneys, and liver. If a mercury-containing product like a thermometer breaks, the liquid mercury can evaporate, releasing harmful vapours that can be inhaled. In the environment, mercury can accumulate in water bodies and enter the food chain, poisoning fish and wildlife.
5. If mercury is so useful, why is it being replaced in many products?
Due to its high toxicity and the environmental risks it poses, there is a global effort to phase out the use of mercury. When products containing mercury are broken or disposed of improperly, they release this toxic metal into the environment. To protect public health and ecosystems, safer alternatives have been developed. For example, digital thermometers have replaced mercury thermometers, and modern batteries and switches are now made without mercury.
6. How is mercury used in the mining of gold?
In some small-scale mining operations, mercury is used to extract gold from ore. The mercury is mixed with the crushed ore, and it binds with the gold particles to form a mixture called an amalgam. This makes it easier to separate the gold from the rock and soil. The amalgam is then heated, which causes the mercury to vaporise, leaving the purified gold behind. This process is extremely dangerous due to the release of toxic mercury vapour.
7. What are some safer alternatives to common mercury-containing household items?
Safer alternatives are now widely available for most items that once contained mercury. For instance, digital or alcohol-based thermometers are used instead of mercury thermometers for measuring temperature. For lighting, LED bulbs are a more energy-efficient and non-toxic alternative to fluorescent bulbs. Modern batteries are now made with zinc or lithium and are mercury-free.
