Mercury; atomic number; 80, atomic symbol; Hg. Mercury was first discovered by the Chinese in approximately 1500 BC. It was found in some Egyptian tombes, in small glass tubes. Mercury was originally named hydrargyrum by the Greeks, meaning "liquid silver," which is where it gets it's atomic symbol; Hg.

• Atomic number: 80 • Atomic mass: 200.59 • Number of Protons: 80 • Number of Neutrons: 120 • Number of Electrons: 80 • Stable Isotopes: Mercury-196, Mercury-198, Mercury-199, Mercury-200, Mercury-201, Mercury-202, Mercury-204

Mercury is mainly found in Cinnabar mines, but can also be found in fish, especially Tuna. To extract Mercury, you must heat a chunk of Cinnabar ore. Once that's is done, you have to capture the Mercury vapor, and then let it cool.

Mercury is most widely known for being used in thermometers, but it also has some other uses. The term "mad as a hatter" comes from the time when America was still a young country, and many hatmakers were discovering Beaver pelts. The process of making a hat back then involved Mercury, and the toxic Mercury gas would slowly drive the hatmakers mad. More recently, Mercury gas is used in fluorescent lights, and batteries. Some of these though, like Mercury in batteries, has been deemed un-safe, and is being fazed out of use.

Scientific Fact: Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid in it's standard form.

Fun Fact: Mercury is so dense that an iron cannonball can float in it