Mercury (pronounced /ˈmɜrkjʊri/ MER-kyə-ree), also called quicksilver (/ˈkwɪksɪlvər/) or hydrargyrum (/haɪˈdrɑrdʒɨrəm/ hye-DRAR-ji-rəm), is a chemical element with the symbol Hg (Latinized Greek: hydrargyrum, meaning watery or liquid silver) and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six chemical elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure, the others being caesium, francium, gallium, bromine, an...
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Mercury (pronounced /ˈmɜrkjʊri/ MER-kyə-ree), also called quicksilver (/ˈkwɪksɪlvər/) or hydrargyrum (/haɪˈdrɑrdʒɨrəm/ hye-DRAR-ji-rəm), is a chemical element with the symbol Hg (Latinized Greek: hydrargyrum, meaning watery or liquid silver) and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six chemical elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure, the others being caesium, francium, gallium, bromine, and rubidium. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. With a melting point of −38.83 °C and boiling point of 356.73 °C, mercury has one of the narrowest ranges of its liquid state of any metal.
Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), which is the source of the red pigment vermilion, and is mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar. Cinnabar is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust. Mercury poisoning can also result from exposure to...
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