2025-01-14
Mercury Price, Occurrence, Extraction and Uses
Mercury (ancient Greek ὑδράργυρος Hydrargyros, liquid silver ', derived from Latin hydrargyrum (Hg), so named by Dioscurides; Latin argentum vivum and mercurius; English mercury and quicksilver) is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and the atomic number 80. Although it has a closed d-shell, it is often counted among the transition metals. In the periodic table it is in the 2nd subgroup or the 12th IUPAC group, which is also called the zinc group. It is the only metal and, besides bromine, the only element that is liquid under standard conditions. Due to its high surface tension, mercury does not wet its inert base, but rather forms lenticular drops because of its strong cohesion. Like any other metal, it is electrically conductive.