Mercury(II) chloride, more commonly called Mercuric Chloride (once known as "corrosive sublimate" (see image at right)), is the chemical compound with the formula HgCl₂. This white crystalline solid is a laboratory reagent. It was formerly used more widely, however it is one of the most toxic forms of mercury because it is more soluble than most in water. Solubility is a chemical property referring to the ability for a given substance, the solute, to dissolve in a solvent. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... Solubility is a chemical property referring to the ability for a given substance, the solute, to dissolve in a solvent. ... The coordination geometry of an atom is the geometrical pattern formed by its neighbors in a molecule or a crystal. ... Four sp3 orbitals. ... The Earths magnetic field, which is approximately a dipole. ... Council Directive 67/548/EEC of 27 June 1967 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances (as amended) is the main European Union law concerning chemical safety. ... R-phrases are defined in Annex III of European Union Directive 67/548/EEC: Nature of special risks attributed to dangerous substances and preparations. ... S-phrases are defined in Annex IV of European Union Directive 67/548/EEC: Safety advice concerning dangerous substances and preparations. ... For other uses, see Flash point (disambiguation). ... This article is about the electrically charged particle. ... Mercury fluoride has the molecular formula HgF.2 melting point: 940k at 1atm Categories: | | ... Mercury(II) iodide (HgI2) is a chemical compound with an appearance of red-orange crystals. ... This article is about the electrically charged particle. ... Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) is a colorless or white compound of zinc and chlorine that is extremely hygroscopic. ... Cadmium chloride is a white crystalline compound of cadmium and chlorine, with the formula CdCl2. ... Mercury(I) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula Hg2Cl2. ... The plimsoll symbol as used in shipping In chemistry, the standard state of a material is its state at 1 bar (100 kilopascals exactly). ... Look up chemical compound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A chemical formula is an easy way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... This article is about the element. ... This box:      For other uses, see Solid (disambiguation). ...

Production and basic properties

Mercuric chloride is not a salt but a linear triatomic molecule, hence its tendency to sublime. In the crystal, each mercury atom is bonded to two close chloride ligands with Hg---Cl distance of 2.38 Å; four more chlorides are more distant at 3.38 Å.^[1] In chemistry, a ligand is an atom, ion, or molecule (see also: functional group) that generally donates one or more of its electrons through a coordinate covalent bond to, or shares its electrons through a covalent bond with, one or more central atoms or ions (these ligands act as a...

Mercuric chloride is obtained by the action of chlorine on mercury or mercury(I) chloride, by the addition of hydrochloric acid to a hot, concentrated solution of mercury(I) compounds such as the nitrate: General Name, symbol, number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series nonmetals Group, period, block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Standard atomic weight 35. ... Mercury(I) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula Hg2Cl2. ... Hydrochloric acid is the aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride gas (HCl). ...

HgNO₃ + 2 HCl → HgCl₂ + H₂O + NO₂,

Heating a mixture of solid mercury(II) sulfate and sodium chloride also affords volatile HgCl₂, which sublimes and condenses in the form of small rhombic crystals. Mercury(II) sulfate (HgSO4) is a chemical compound. ... R-phrases 36 S-phrases none Flash point Non-flammable Related Compounds Other anions NaF, NaBr, NaI Other cations LiCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl, MgCl2, CaCl2 Related salts Sodium acetate Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Sublimation of an element or substance is a conversion between the solid and the gas phases with no intermediate liquid stage. ...

Its solubility increases from 6% at 20 °C to 36% in boiling water. In the presence of chloride ions, it dissolves to give the tetrahedral complex [HgCl₄]^2-.

Applications

The main application of mercuric chloride is as a catalyst for the conversion of acetylene to vinyl chloride, the precursor to polyvinylchloride : It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Catalysis. ... Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is a hydrocarbon belonging to the group of alkynes. ... Vinyl chloride, also known as chloroethene in IUPAC nomenclature, is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce its polymer, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). ... Vinyl siding Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a widely-used plastic. ...

C₂H₂ + HCl → CH₂=CHCl

For this application, the mercuric chloride is supported on carbon in concentrations of ca 5 weight percent. This technology has been eclipsed by the thermal cracking of 1,2-dichloroethane. Other significant applications of mercuric chloride include its use as a depolarizer in batteries and as a reagent in organic synthesis and analytical chemistry (see below).^[2] The chemical compound 1,2-dichloroethane, commonly known by its old name of ethylene dichloride (EDC), is a chlorinated hydrocarbon, mainly used to produce vinyl chloride monomer (VCM, chloroethene), the major precursor for PVC production. ... Organic synthesis is the construction of organic molecules via chemical processes. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

As a chemical reagent

Mercuric chloride is often used to form an amalgam with metals, such as aluminium. When aluminium strips are soaked in mercuric chloride solution, they quickly become covered by a thin layer of mercury. Normally, aluminium is protected by a thin layer of oxide making it inert. Once amalgamated, aluminium can undergo a variety of reactions. For example, it will dissolve in water (this can be dangerous, as hydrogen gas and heat are generated). Halocarbon react with amalgamated aluminium in the Barbier reaction). These alkylaluminium compounds are nucleophilic and can be used in a similar fashion to the Grignard reagent. Amalgamated aluminum is also used as a reducing agent in organic synthesis. Another metal commonly amalgamated using mercuric chloride include zinc. This article is about mixtures (alloys) of mercury with other elements. ... Aluminum redirects here. ... Halocarbon compounds are chemicals in which one or more carbon atoms are linked by covalent bonds with one or more halogen atoms: fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine. ... The Barbier reaction is an organic reaction between a alkyl halide and a carbonyl group as an electrophilic substrate in the presence of aluminium, zinc, indium, tin or its salts. ... In chemistry, a nucleophile (literally nucleus lover) is a reagent which is attracted to centres of positive charge. ... ed|other uses|reduction}} Illustration of a redox reaction Redox (shorthand for reduction/oxidation reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. ...

Mercuric chloride is used to remove dithiane groups attached to a carbonyl in an umpolung reaction. A dithiane is a heterocyclic compound comprised of a cyclohexane core structure with two methylene units replaced by sulfur. ... Umpolung or polarity inversion in organic chemistry is the chemical modification of a functional group with the aim the reversal of polarity of that group. ...

Historic use in photography

Mercury(II) chloride was used as a photographic intensifier to produce positive pictures in the collodion process of the 1800s. When applied to a negative, the mercury(II) chloride whitens and thickens the image, thereby increasing the opacity of the shadows and creating the illusion of a positive image.^[3] The collodion process is an early photographic process which gave way in the late 19th century to todays gelatin emulsion process. ... // Invention of the Jacquard loom in 1801. ...

Historic use in preservation

For the preservation of anthropological and biological specimens during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, objects were dipped in or were painted with a mercuric solution. Objects in drawers were protected by scattering crystalline mercuric chloride over them.^[4] It finds minor use in tanning, and wood was preserved by kyanizing (soaking in mercuric chloride) beginning in 1848.^[5] Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... All measures that are taken to ensure a long life of wood fall under the definition wood preservation (timber treatment). ...

Historic use in medicine

Syphilis was frequently treated with mercuric chloride before the advent of antibiotics. It was inhaled, ingested, injected, and applied topically. Poisoning was so common that its symptoms were confused with those of syphilis.^[6] Syphilis is a curable sexually transmitted disease caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete. ... An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ...

Toxicity

Mercury(II) chloride is highly toxic and corrosive. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, Hg²⁺ combines with proteins in the plasma or enters the red blood cells. It does not readily pass into the brain or fetus but may enter into other body organs.^{[citation needed]} The liver is a major site of metabolism for mercury, and all mercury absorbed from the stomach and intestine is carried in blood directly to the liver. It accumulates in the kidneys, and may cause severe damage. Poisoning can result from inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin.

Inhalation may result in corrosive bronchitis, interstitial pneumonitis, and death. Systemic effects following inhalation exposure may include shock, renal disorders, and central nervous system effects characterized by lethargy and neurobehavioral effects (insomnia, loss of memory, excitability, etc). Chronic exposure to low levels of vapor may result in central nervous system effects including fatigue, tremors, and gingivitis. As exposure increases, the frequency and magnitude of muscle tremors increase and are accompanied by personality and behavioral changes (memory loss, excitability, depression, and hallucinations). Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi and may specifically refer to: Acute bronchitis, caused by viruses or bacteria and lasting several days or weeks Chronic bronchitis, a persistent, productive cough lasting at least three months in two consecutive years. ... Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung. ...

Ingestion may cause severe gastrointestinal irritation, renal failure, and death with acute lethal doses in humans ranging from 1 to 4 g. The toxic effects are usually evident within 10-15 minutes of ingestion. Death can occur within 24 hours, resulting from shock, renal damage, severe gastrointestinal damage or kidney failure. Chronic symptoms include increased salivation, bleeding gums and loosening of the teeth.

Dermal contact with mercuric chloride may cause dermatitis and neurological effects. Acrodynia occurs in children and is characterised by a generalised body rash. Other symptoms include swelling and irritation of the hands, feet, cheeks and nose, hair loss, irritability, insomnia, and profuse perspiration which may lead to dehydration. Chronic exposure through absorption is usually the result of regular applications of topical ointments containing mercuric chloride. Acrodynia (or pink disease, erythredema, erythredema polyneuropathy, Bilderbecks, Selters, Swifts and Swift-Feer disease) refers to a condition of pain and dusky pink discoloration in the hands and feet most often seen in children chronically exposed to heavy metals, especially mercury. ...

In popular culture

Humbert Humbert, the protagonist in Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, contemplates killing his child lover's mother with "five bichloride-of-mercury tablets in her preprandial sherry.", and newspaper headlines in the early part of the 20th century suggest that this compound was popular method of suicide and attempted suicide. Perhaps the most famous^{[citation needed]} person to succumb to what the papers called "mercury bichloride" or "bi-chloride of mercury" was silent film star Olive Thomas whose 1920 death in Paris was ruled accidental. James Mason as Humbert in the 1962 film Humbert Humbert is the adopted pseudonym of the main character and unreliable narrator of the 1955 novel Lolita, by Russian-born American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. ... This article is about the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. ... Olive Thomas (20 October 1894, Charleroi, Pennsylvania – 10 September 1920 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was an American silent film actress and socialite. ...

In Patrick O'Brian's novel The Wine-Dark Sea, set in the early 19th century, the character Nathaniel Martin is a physician's assistant. He nearly poisons himself with "The Vienna Treatment", a preparation of the "corrosive sublimate" which is considered extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Patrick OBrian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000; born as Richard Patrick Russ) was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centered on the friendship of Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish... The Wine-Dark Sea (1993) is a novel by Patrick OBrian, the sixteenth in the Aubrey–Maturin series. ...

References

External links

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Agency for toxic substances and disease registry. (2001, May 25). Toxicological profile for Mercury. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• National institutes of health. (2002, October 31). Hazardous substances data bank: Mercuric chloride. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• Young, R.(2004, October 6). Toxicity summary for mercury. The risk assessment information system. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• ATSDR - ToxFAQs™: Mercury
• ATSDR - Public Health Statement: Mercury
• ATSDR - Medical Management Guidelines (MMGs) for Mercury (Hg)
• ATSDR - Toxicological Profile: Mercury
• International Chemical Safety Card 0979
• National Pollutant Inventory - Mercury and compounds Fact Sheet
• NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
• Mercury chloride toxicity - includes excerpts from research reports.