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Mercury

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Mercury — Cadmium — Lead Handbook for Sustainable Heavy Metals Policy and Regulation

Part of the book series: Environment & Policy ((ENPO,volume 31))

Abstract

Like cadmium, mercury is a rare element of the lib group of the periodic system. However, being a noble metal, it appears (or is easily transformed) in metallic form and has been known since ancient times. Having a melting point of −38.87°C the silvery liquid metal has always roused much imagination, the more so because it has a very high density of 13.6 and is an extremely good ‘solvent’ for gold and silver, via the formation of amalgams. Its Greek name (hydrargyros) and the Latin derivative name hydrargirum (liquid silver) are at the origin of its chemical symbol Hg. The German and Dutch names (Quecksilber, kwikzilver and the less common name quicksilver in English) are derived from its unique property of being the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. The names in English and French: mercury and mercure originate from the god Mercurius, to whom Neo-Platonists and alchemists devoted the element (Holmyard, 1957).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division III Environmental and Marine Chemistry Group, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Michael J. Scoullos

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  1. Michael J. Scoullos
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  2. Gerrit H. Vonkeman
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  3. Iain Thornton
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  4. Zen Makuch
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Michael J. Scoullos

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Scoullos, M.J., Vonkeman, G.H., Thornton, I., Makuch, Z. (2001). Mercury. In: Scoullos, M.J. (eds) Mercury — Cadmium — Lead Handbook for Sustainable Heavy Metals Policy and Regulation. Environment & Policy, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0403-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0403-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-3896-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-010-0403-9

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