Talk of mercury

"今古奇观" there is such a story, a liar with "silver into gold chain," fooled by the magic of a large number of rich silver.


Silver into gold, you really? Of course not. In fact, this crook is used in gold looks like silver amalgam. Kim is the so-called amalgam of mercury and gold alloy, Qi is the ancient title of the alloy. Mercury at room temperature is the only liquid metal, looks like silver, so also known as mercury. Heated gold amalgam, mercury is evaporated, it left behind is the gold黄澄澄.


As early as in ancient times, the amalgam has been used in the metal material surface, such as "flying money", such as the ancient buildings on the gold glass tile, clay sculpture in the temple the temple金身Buddha, they are plated with gold amalgam of gold. Applied to gold amalgam on glass or clay tile, the heated vapor of mercury into the mercury evaporated, glass tile or clay on a gold-plated. Toxic mercury vapor, it is said that amalgam with gold plated to the St. Petersburg church, there were 60 workers died as a result of mercury vapor poisoning.

Mercury not only with the formation of alloys, it can also lead and other metals such as sodium, zinc, silver, tin and other metal alloys to form. Lead and mercury to form the alloy铅汞called Qi, the ancients used it to mirror polishing abrasive. The formation of sodium and sodium mercury amalgam and of zinc and zinc-mercury amalgam formed by chemical synthesis process is commonly used reducing agent. Silver, tin and mercury in the formation of tin-silver amalgam hardens quickly, use it to fill a tooth ancients.

In their daily lives, we often encounter mercury compounds, such as red mercury sulfide in the inkpad, red syrup in the treatment of skin mercurochrome and mercury ointment. Most toxic compounds of mercury, so use caution.