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- DictionaryMer·cu·ry/ˈmərkyərē/
- 1. a small planet that is the closest to the sun in the solar system, sometimes visible to the naked eye just after sunset.
- 2. the Roman god of eloquence, skill, trading, and thieving, herald and messenger of the gods, who was identified with Hermes.
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Learn the meanings of mercury as a Roman god, a chemical element, and a planet. See examples, etymology, and related words for mercury.
Mercury definition: a heavy, silver-white, highly toxic metallic element, the only one that is liquid at room temperature; quicksilver: used in barometers, thermometers, pesticides, pharmaceutical preparations, reflecting surfaces of mirrors, and dental fillings, in certain switches, lamps, and other electric apparatus, and as a laboratory ...
Learn the meaning of mercury as a chemical element, a planet, and a god in Roman mythology. See how to use mercury in sentences and phrases with synonyms and related words.
Learn the meaning of mercury as a chemical element, a planet, and a god in Roman mythology. See how to use mercury in sentences and find synonyms, related words, and translations.
- Overview
- Properties, uses, and occurrence
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mercury (Hg), chemical element, liquid metal of Group 12 (IIb, or zinc group) of the periodic table.
Mercury was known in Egypt and also probably in the East as early as 1500 bce. The name mercury originated in 6th-century alchemy, in which the symbol of the planet was used to represent the metal; the chemical symbol Hg derives from the Latin hydrargyrum, “liquid silver.” Although its toxicity was recognized at an early date, its main application was for medical purposes.
Mercury is the only elemental metal that is liquid at room temperature. (Cesium melts at about 28.5 °C [83 °F], gallium at about 30 °C [86 °F], and rubidium at about 39 °C [102 °F].) Mercury is silvery white, slowly tarnishes in moist air, and freezes into a soft solid like tin or lead at −38.83 °C (−37.89 °F). It boils at 356.62 °C (673.91 °F).
It alloys with copper, tin, and zinc to form amalgams, or liquid alloys. An amalgam with silver is used as a filling in dentistry. Mercury does not wet glass or cling to it, and this property, coupled with its rapid and uniform volume expansion throughout its liquid range, made it useful in thermometers. (Mercury thermometers were supplanted by more accurate electronic digital thermometers in the early 21st century.) Barometers and manometers also used its high density and low vapour pressure. However, mercury’s toxicity has led to its replacement in these instruments. Gold and silver dissolve readily in mercury, and in the past this property was used in the extraction of these metals from their ores.
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Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz
The good electrical conductivity of mercury makes it exceptionally useful in sealed electrical switches and relays. An electrical discharge through mercury vapour contained in a fused silica tube or bulb produces a bluish glow rich in ultraviolet light, a phenomenon exploited in ultraviolet, fluorescent, and high-pressure mercury-vapour lamps. Some mercury is used in the preparation of pharmaceuticals and agricultural and industrial fungicides.
Mercury is a liquid metal of Group 12 of the periodic table, with the symbol Hg and the name hydrargyrum. It has various applications in medicine, industry, and science, but it is also highly poisonous and can cause serious health problems.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mercury is the smallest and fastest planet in our solar system, orbiting close to the Sun and covered in craters. Learn more about its features, history, and exploration from NASA's website.
May 19, 2024 · Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system and the eighth in size and mass. Its closeness to the Sun and its smallness make it the most elusive of the planets visible to the unaided eye.
