Mercury 

Mercury: 

• Physical Properties: 
• It is a liquid at room temperature
• Its boiling point is 356.7 degrees C
• Its melting point is -38.9 degrees C
• It is shiny and silvery
• It is not viscous
• It is a conductor of thermal energy
• It is malleable
• It is ductile
• Its density is 5.43g/cm3
• Chemical Properties: 
• Mercury is not soluble in water
• It is an unreactive metal and does not cause much corrosion
• Mercury does not burn or explode.
• Mercury does not react with most acids.
• Mercury is a significantly older metal and was first discovered around 1500 B.C in ancient Egypt. It’s chemical abbreviation Hg, comes from the Greek word, Hydrargyrum, which means “liquid silver” or “quick silver.” The name suits it quite well as Mercury is a liquid at room temperature and has a “silvery” look to it.
• Mercury is another one of Earth’s rare elements that are found naturally in its crust.
• Mercury is commonly found in the ore, cinnabar, and in extremely small amounts. Cinnabar is obtained by underground mining and the mercury is later extracted from it. After being mined, cinnabar is exposed to heat, hot enough to pass mercury’s boiling point. The Mercury gas is then passed through U-shaped tubes, which bring the Mercury back to its liquid state.
• As mentioned previously, when mercury is heated passed its boiling point, it becomes a gas. If it isn’t passed through the tubes properly, and manages to escape, this toxic gas will pollute the atmosphere.
• Mercury is a great conductor of thermal energy, which is why it’s an important part of electrical switches. Although it’s not used as often nowadays, Mercury was used in thermometers, blood pressure devices and thermostats because it has a high density but doesn’t require much space. When Mercury dissolves many other metals, it creates amalgams. The amalgams are then used in dental fillings. Vaccines contain Mercury in small amounts and have found it to be non-toxic in such small amounts. Inorganic mercury is added to some skin care products but is now banned in many countries due to Mercury’s toxicity.
• When Mercury is thrown away into a regular garbage can, it won’t disappear, instead it will and try to seep into the ground, evaporate and create dangerous vapours that can be fatal when inhaled.
• Mercury has the tendency to build up in fish and shellfish, which us, humans will most likely end up consuming. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, it takes up about 2 micrograms per litre of Mercury for the water to be contaminated.
• The Mercury containing products are taken apart and go through a process called retort. In this process, the products in a huge oven are heated at a very high temperature to vaporize the mercury and store it separately.
•  During 1962, 10 000 kgs of Mercury was released into the English-Wabigoon water system, causing the livelihood, food source and health of the Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabekq peoples to demolish. Mercury had built up in aquatic creatures, which was their main food source. Many people were diagnosed with Mercury poisoning, also professionally known as the Minamata disease, and have passed away prior to the age of 60. Around 1985, their community had finally started to become stable. This event has greatly affected this community of Indigenous peoples.
• Eliminating the use of Mercury in gold, thermostats, paints, and soaps could cause a huge difference in Mercury pollution because those products are mainly household products and can be created with Mercury. Many parts of the world are also switching from Mercury to a safer substance for dental fillings. Some products such as florescent lighting may not be easily made without mercury, which means that recycling those products safely is very important. Following the guidelines that your local municipality has set for recycling Mercury is crucial in making sure that it doesn’t seep into the environment and cause complications.