Mercury oxide decomposes when exposed to heat, producing elemental mercury and liquid metal mercury in an orderly and balanced chemical reaction that was conducted by Antoine Lavoisier who studied chemical reactions as well as classifying substances into elements and compounds.
Mercury(II) sulfide is a dense black or red crystalline solid used to produce zinc-mercuric oxide electric cells and as a pigment in paints, rubber, and horn. If consumed orally it can be fatal while exposure to it via inhalation can be extremely toxic.
What happens?
Mercury oxide, HgO, is a grey solid that decomposes upon heating to form mercury metal and oxygen gas. Mercury oxide can be used in laboratory settings to produce other mercury salts as well as pure mercury for use in some types of electric cells. As mercury oxide is extremely toxic and must always be handled with extreme care to avoid accidental ingestion by people bare-handed, it must always be stored safely away and not touched directly with hands.
In this experiment, mercuric oxide is heated strongly to cause its thermal decomposition, with mercury and oxygen formed being collected over water as a by-product. This decomposition reaction is balanced; equal quantities of mercury and oxygen have formed relative to initial mass of mercuric oxide formed – as confirmed by conservation of mass, which states that in chemical reactions the total mass of reactants must equal total mass of products produced.
Experimental Method: Heat Red Mercury Oxide (HgO) Sample in a Test Tube The experimental procedure requires heating red mercury oxide (HgO), placed inside a test tube and fastened to a stand, until thermal decomposition occurs and oxygen gas is produced which can then be measured using relighting a glowing splint held against its mouth of the tube. For best results this should be conducted within an effective fume hood due to reaction producing mercury vapour that could potentially be irritating for eyes and nose.
Mercuric oxide begins as 10 grams and forms 9.3 g of liquid mercury after decomposition. The weight of oxygen produced can be determined by subtracting 9.3 from initial mass, giving an end weight of 0.7 grams as confirmed by balance and equation below. This classic example of decomposition reaction illustrates the necessity of precise weighing so as to achieve consistent reactions that yield consistent products.
How does it happen?
Mercury oxide can be used in many chemistry experiments to demonstrate thermal decomposition, or the process by which materials degrade at high temperatures, creating two or more new substances. To demonstrate this reaction, 3-5 grams of red mercury oxide are placed inside a test tube of high melting glass filled with hot air from a lighter flame and heated until it decomposes into gasses; then these gasses produced from thermal decomposition are collected over water in order to collect any mercury that has separated itself from oxygen molecules produced during thermal decomposition.
Mercury is an extremely toxic and reactive element found naturally as both free metal and in the minerals cinnabar, corderoite and livingstonite. Mercury salts such as chloride, acetate and amalgam are extracted using mercury’s chemical reactions with acid solutions; mercury oxide also serves as an excellent oxidizer that reacts with acids to release mercury ions into solution.
Mercury oxide can be extremely hazardous when handled improperly and its vapor is toxic to human beings when inhaled or absorbed through skin contact, potentially causing nervous system disorders and decreased sperm count in men. Mercury oxide inhalation has also been known to damage lung, kidney and digestive tract structures as well as cause occupational illnesses among workers at battery plants.
Mercurous Oxide reacts violently with hydrogen peroxide to form mercury oxide and hydrogen oxide, with storage in compression bottles or jet emitters likely leading to rapid progressive chemical reactions, leading to decomposition. Mercury Oxide is extremely toxic for human beings as well as other mammals. At high temperatures mercury oxide kills organic materials at the molecular level while becoming very flammable and explosive when in contact with air; its explosive nature makes it not readily soluble in water, leaving behind hard black deposits when mixed with alkali materials such as sodium or potassium carbonate; additionally it’s powerful oxidizer, reacts explosively with air creating fire explosions when air meets mercury Oxide’s powerful oxidizer properties.
What is the reaction?
HgO decomposes when heated at high temperatures to produce mercury and oxygen gas, creating the chemical equation: 2HgO – 2Hg + O. The reaction rate is rapid; therefore any gas released will quickly be absorbed by an effective solvent and eventually turn into mercury metal which is extremely toxic requiring special precautions during its formation. For safety measures the process must usually be done in an effective fume hood.
Reacting mercury with other elements produces elemental mercury for use in various organic and inorganic compounds. Mercury metal obtained in this way can be dissolved into acids to create mercury salts; or used as electrode (combined with graphite) in zinc-mercuric oxide electric cells and mercury batteries. Mercury(II) oxide is a dense red or yellow crystalline solid, insoluble in water but soluble in sulfuric acid and hot hydrochloric acid solutions; obtained through pyrolysis of mercury(II) nitrate and available from chemical suppliers; additionally it can also be found naturally within cinnabar, corderoite, and livingstonite ores.
At elevated temperatures, mercuric oxide decomposes explosively into pure metallic element, so to store mercuric oxide properly requires airtight containers away from any sources of oxygen and without coming in contact with reducing agents like acids. Burning of mercuric oxide releases poisonous mercury vapor that is extremely flammable.
Lavoisier, often considered to be the father of modern chemistry, meticulously studied the decomposition of mercuric oxide in detail, showing that under heat strong enough it would dissolve into pure mercury metal and oxygen gas. This experiment is still commonly performed in chemistry labs today and forms an essential part of any general chemistry course. Studying metalloid reactions is highly engaging and provides an ideal introduction to thermodynamic principles. Mercuric oxide’s reaction with other metal oxides such as aluminium dioxide, cuprous oxide and ferric oxide will disintegrate similarly into their respective metallic elements.
What is the symbol for mercury oxide?
Mercury(II) oxide, HgO, provides elemental mercury for use in creating various organic and inorganic mercury salts and compounds. Additionally, mercury(II) oxide serves as an electrode in zinc-mercuric oxide electric cells and mercury batteries when mixed with graphite electrodes, serving as electrode material in zinc-mercuric oxide electric cells and batteries. Mercury(II) oxide forms red or orange colored crystalline solids which are insoluble in water, sometimes used in making other mercury salts as well as producing mercuric chloride; similarly it reacts with acids to form similar mercury salts – for instance reacts with acetic acid to form mercuric acetate while with hydrogen peroxide to form methyl mercury.
Mercury(II) oxide can be extremely toxic if taken orally and when inhaled may even prove fatal. As it’s a carcinogen, long-term exposure may cause lung irritation, headaches and nervous system effects – as well as storage in tightly sealed glass or plastic containers away from acids; sewers or water sources as it’s considered hazardous waste; keep out of sewers as it causes long-term environmental impacts; bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms due to its air pollutant status – with long-term environmental consequences if released into the environment – as if released back into the environment it becomes extremely toxic; long-term it has long term adverse environmental impacts which will continue into future decades –
Lavoisier, who is considered one of the founding fathers of modern chemistry, first used mercury to study chemical reactions by reacting it with oxygen to produce mercuric oxide. He did this to demonstrate that when heated compounds decompose into their constituent parts – an essential concept in understanding chemical processes.
Mercury oxide can be ignited with heat, friction or strong electrostatic forces and is extremely flammable; it may even explode when exposed to light or high temperatures. Vaporized mercury can then be inhaled into the bloodstream through inhalation – potentially poisoning it or leading to neurological diseases like thyrotoxicosis, chronic hepatitis or Alzheimer’s. Acute exposure may cause skin conditions like dermatitis, nerve damage, liver and kidney dysfunction or brain damage as well as respiratory distress or even death.