Mercury

Element Mercury

It is an element with atomic symbol Hg, atomic number 80, and atomic weight 200.59; a heavy, silvery-white metal, liquid at room temperature, a rather poor conductor of heat and a fair conductor of electricity.
It is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum.
Mercury is a nonessential trace metal that is a well known toxin, second only to lead as a cause of heavy metal poisoning.
Element Mercury is used in many areas of manufacturing and is present in dental and medical equipment. Because of the toxicity of acute and chronic exposure to metallic mercury, this metal is now used less and less in industry and attempts are made to remove it from household and medical equipment and appliances.

There are seven stable isotopes of mercury, with 202Hg being the most abundant (29.86%). The longest-lived radioisotopes are 194Hg with a half-life of 444 years, and 203Hg with a half-life of 46.612 days. Most of the remaining radioisotopes have half-lives that are less than a day. 199Hg and 201Hg are the most often studied NMR-active nuclei, having spins of 1⁄2 and 3⁄2 respectively