Background Info
My element is Mercury whose atomic symbol is Hg after the greek word hydrargyrus. Mercury was known to ancient Chinese and Hindus before 2000 BC. It was named Mercury based off of the planet, Mercury. It was nicknamed quicksilver because it is a silver liquid and the greek meaning for it's name, watery silver.
Atomic Structure
- Atomic Number:80
- Atomic Mass: 200.59
- Protons: 80
- Neutrons:80
- Electrons:2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 2(80)
- Stable isotopes: 196, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 204
Natural Sources and Major Uses
Mercury is usually obtained from the mineral Cinnabar and is not found on it's own naturally. It is used in thermometers, barometers, silent switches, signs, and batteries even though they are all getting phased out for safer alternatives due to Mercury's poisonous nature. It forms alloys very easily with other metals like gold, so it's useful for extracting metals.
Additional Information
Mercury is the only Metal to be in the liquid state at standard temperature. It was first named Hydrargyrum after the greek word Hydrargyrus.
Sources
http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele080.html
https://www.webelements.com/mercury/history.html
http://scienceline.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Cinnabar-d6a.jpg
http://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/chemistry/compounds-and-elements/mercury-metal
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/43/e7/b8/43e7b8b09fac4701602c6a6f9b144771.jpg
http://periodictable.com/Samples/080.14/s7s.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Cinnabarit_01.jpg/240px-Cinnabarit_01.jpg