Mercury
Transition Metal
Mercury (Hg) is a chemical element with atomic number 80, classified as a transition metal. At room temperature it is a liquid. It has been known since ancient times.
Properties
- Atomic number
- 80
- Atomic mass
- 200.59 u
- Category
- Transition Metal
- Group
- 12
- Period
- 6
- Block
- d-block
- Electron configuration
- [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s²
- Phase at STP
- Liquid
- Density
- 13.5336 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 234.32 K (-38.8 °C)
- Boiling point
- 629.88 K (356.7 °C)
- Electronegativity
- 2
- Atomic radius
- 171 pm
- Ionization energy
- 10.438 eV
- Discovery
- Known since ancient times
Common uses
Thermometers, fluorescent lights, dental amalgams, switches
Did you know?
Only metal that's liquid at room temperature and highly toxic.
Compounds you can make with mercury
Mercury appears in one compound in our periodic table sandbox. Each one is a real substance with its true chemical formula — combine the right elements in the right ratio below to discover it.
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HgS
Mercury(II) Sulfide (Cinnabar)
Cinnabar, the brilliant red mineral that is the chief ore of mercury.