mercury (mer'ku-re)

A liquid metallic element Syn.: quicksilver. of silvery color and metallic luster. At about 40 ° C. it freezes into a ductile and malleable solid, like tin; it also crystallizes at a low temperature. It occurs free, and also combined with sulphur (in cinnabar), with chlorin, and with iodin. It forms two cla es of compounds: the mercurous and the mercuric salts, in which it seems to act as a univalent and a bivalent radicle respectively. Symbol, Hg. Atomic weight, 200. Specific gravity, 13.61. Many metals di olve in m. or form compounds with it, which are called amalgams. Its salts are poisonous, especially the soluble ores. Many of its salts are used in syphilis. List of poisons and their antidotes, see in appendix, page 939. acid solution of nitrate of m. See liquor hydrargyri nitratis acid us, under hydrargyrum [Br. Ph.]. black lotion of m. See lotio hydrargyri nigra, under hydrargyrum, calcined m. See red m. oxid. casein m. A soluble compound of "casein alkali" and mercuric chlorid; an antiseptic, caustic m. nitrate. A solution of 1 part of m. nitrate in 2 parts of commercial nitric acid, compound ointment of m. See unguentum hydrargyri composition, under hydrargyrum [Br. Ph.]. compound pill of sub chlorid of m. See pilulae hydrargyri sub chlorid i compos i tae, under hydrargyrum. corrosive m. chjorid. See m. bichlorid. green iodid of m. See m.