Alloys of mercury

Alloys of mercury: - Mercury, 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 elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure. The others are the elements caesium, francium, gallium, bromine, and rubidium. Of the metals, only mercury is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure with the melting point of −38.83°C and the boiling point of 356.73°C, making it one of the narrowest liquid range of any metal. Mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, and other scientific apparatus, though concerns about the element's toxicity have led to mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers being largely phased out in clinical environments in favour of alcohol-filled, digital, or thermistor-based instruments. It remains in use in a number of other ways in scientific and scientific research applications, and in amalgam material for dental restoration. Mercury is mostly obtained by reduction from the mineral cinnabar. Electricity is passed through mercury vapor to produce short-wave ultraviolet light which then causes the phosphor coated on the inside of the tube to fluoresce, making visible light.
Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world as mercuric sulfide or cinnabar, source of the red pigment vermilion. It is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust, and mercury poisoning can also result from exposure to soluble forms (such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury), inhalation of mercury vapour, or eating fish contaminated with mercury.