Substance profile
Mercury
Mercury is a silver-white, heavy, mobile, liquid metal; solid mercury is tin-white and is odorless.
01 · Identification
What Mercury is
Mercury is a silver-white, heavy, mobile, liquid metal; solid mercury is tin-white and is odorless. Its molecular formula is Hg and its molecular weight is 200.59 g/mol. It boils at 357 °C, melts at -38.9 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as corrosives.
Other names for Mercury
- quicksilver
- Mercury Element
- Mercury Metal
- Mercury Metal: Colloidal Mercury
- Mercury, Metallic
- Metallic Mercury
- Quecksilber
02 · GHS classification
Hazards and label elements
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H360D | May damage the unborn child. |
| H330 | Fatal if inhaled. |
| H372 | Causes damage to organs <or state all organs affected, if known> through prolonged or repeated exposure <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H400 | Very toxic to aquatic life. |
| H410 | Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
Precautionary statements: P260, P270, P271, P273, P304, P310, P314, P391, P501
03 · Physical and chemical properties
Mercury properties
Every value is shown with the conditions it was measured under and the source it came from. Where sources disagree, all values are listed rather than one being picked — the difference is usually a different form of the substance, not an error.
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 356.73 °C (674.1 °F) | HSDB | |
| 356.67 °C (674 °F) | NIOSH | ||
| 357.22 °C (675 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO | |
| Melting point | -38.87 °C (-38 °F) | HSDB | |
| -38.89 °C (-38 °F) | NIOSH | ||
| Density | 13.6 g/cm³ | metal | NIOSH |
| 13.55 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | CAMEO | |
| 13.534 g/cm³ | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| Solubility | SOL IN NITRIC ACID; INSOL IN THE FOLLOWING: DILUTE HYDROCHLORIC ACID, HYDROGEN BROMIDE, HYDROGEN IODIDE, COLD SULFURIC ACID | HSDB | |
| DISSOLVES TO SOME EXTENT IN LIPIDS | HSDB | ||
| 0.28 umoles/l of water at 25 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| Vapor pressure | 0.0012 mmHg | NIOSH | |
| 0.002 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| Autoignition temperature | Not flammable (USCG, 1999) | CAMEO | |
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | Metal: Noncombustible Liquid | NIOSH | |
| Vapor density | 6.93 (air = 1) | ICSC | |
| Critical temperature and pressure | 1462 °C (2663.6 °F) | HSDB | |
| Corrosivity | Special precautions: Mercury can attack copper and copper alloy materials. | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
04 · Source notes
Further notes on Mercury
These are descriptions rather than measured values, so they are kept out of the table above and quoted here with the source that reported them.
Corrosivity
The high mobility and tendency to dispersion exhibited by mercury, and the ease with which it forms alloys (amalga) with many laboratory and electrical contact metals, can cause severe corrosion problems in laboratories.
Source: HSDB
05 · Handling and storage
Storing and handling Mercury
Storage conditions
Storage temperature: Ambient; Venting: Open
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Incompatible materials
Ground mixtures of sodium carbide and mercury, aluminum, lead, or iron can react vigorously.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Reactivity
MERCURY forms an explosive acelylide when mixed with acetylene. Can form explosive compounds with ammonia (a residue resulting from such a reaction exploded when an attempt was made to clean it off a steel rod [Chem. Eng. News 25:2138. 1947]. Chlorine dioxide (also other oxidants, such as: chlorine, bromine, nitric acid, performic acid), and mercury explode when mixed [Mellor 2, Supp. 1:381. 1956]. Methyl azide in the presence of mercury is potentially explosive [Can. J. Chem. 41:1048. 1963]. Ground mixtures of sodium carbide and mercury can react vigorously [Mellor 5:848. 1946-47]. Ammonia forms explosive compounds with gold, mercury, or silver. (Eggeman, Tim. "Ammonia". Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2001.).
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Mercury in the storage compatibility matrix →
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