MERCURY - THE ELEMENT
...nary temperatures. It freezes at -40 degrees Celsius and at -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Mercury is used in barometers and manometers because of its high density, and in thermometers because of its high rate of thermal expansion that stays constant over a wide temperature range. Mercury forms compounds with other elements such as gold, silver, zinc and cadmium that are called amalgams. Mercury and silver create the silver fillings in teeth. Mercury and either zinc or cadmium are used in dry cell batteries. Other compounds are: Mercuric chloride, a very poisonous salt, once used to disinfect wounds; Mercurous chloride, an antiseptic used to kill bacteria; Mercuric sulfide, a red paint pigment called vermilion; and Mercuric oxide, used to make mercury batteries. Mercury can also be a dangerous element because it is poisonous and cause severe illness or death because it accumulates in the body, by first entering through the respiratory tract, the digestive tract or directly through the skin. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mercury nitrate was used to remove fur from animal skins that were then made into hats. The phrase “as ...