Mercury (Hg)
Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. It was historically used in thermometers.
Properties of Mercury
- Atomic number
- 80
- Category
- Transition Metal
- Atomic mass
- 200.59 u
- Electron configuration
- [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s²
- Melting point
- 234.32 K (-38.83 °C)
- Boiling point
- 629.88 K (356.73 °C)
- Density
- 13.5336 g/cm³
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 2
- Appearance
- Silvery liquid metal
- Discovered by
- Ancient civilizations
Facts about Mercury
- Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature!
- Mercury was named after the fast Roman messenger god because it flows so quickly!
- Old thermometers used mercury — the silver liquid inside!
- Mercury's symbol Hg comes from "hydrargyrum," meaning "water silver" in Greek!
Mercury videos
- A Cannonball Floats on Mercury
- Why Mercury Is Called Quicksilver
- The Only Metal That Flows at Room Temperature
- Liquid mercury pooling in a dish with an iron bolt floating on its mirror-like surface
- Mercury: The Only Metal Liquid at Room Temperature
- Why Mercury Is Called Quicksilver
- The Mercury Inside Old Thermometers
- Hydrargyrum: Mercury's Water-Silver Name