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  Mercuric Chloride, 100 grams #016-709
Mercuric Chloride, 100 grams
Price:
$165.93
Chemical Name:
Mercuric Chloride
CAS Number:
7487-94-7
Chemical Formula:
HgCl2
Synonyms:
Mercury Bichloride, Mercury (II) Chloride

Detailed Product Description:

 

Mercuric chloride or mercury (II) chloride, a white powder of colorless

 

and odorless, rhombohedral crystals, soluble in water.  It is also called

 

bichloride of mercury or corrosive sublimate.  It is extremely poisonous.

 

 

It was formerly used widely, however it is one of the most toxic forms of

 

mercury due to its high solubility in water.  Its solubility increases from

 

6% at 20 °C to 36% in boiling water.  In the presence of chloride ions, it

 

dissolves to give the tetrahedral coordination complex [HgCl4]2-.

 

 

Grade/Purity:

 

This is Reagent-Grade material with a minimum purity of 99.5%

 

 

Background:

 

Mercuric chloride is prepared by reacting mercury with chlorine gas or

 

by subliming a mixture of mercuric sulfate and sodium chloride (common salt).

 

 

Applications

 

Until recently, the main application of mercuric chloride is as a catalyst for

 

the conversion of acetylene to vinyl chloride, the precursor to polyvinylchloride

 

(PVC).

 

 

Historical uses included use as a photographic intensifier to produce positive

 

pictures in the collodion process of the 1800s.  When applied to a negative,

 

the mercury(II) chloride whitens and thickens the image, thereby increasing the

 

opacity of the shadows and creating the illusion of a positive image.

 

 

For the preservation of anthropological and biological specimens during the late

 

19th and early 20th centuries, objects were dipped in or were painted with a

 

"mercuric solution."  Objects in drawers were protected by scattering crystalline

 

mercuric chloride over them.

 

 

Mercuric chloride is sometimes used in dilute solution as an antiseptic for

 

inanimate objects and as a fungicide.  It is also used in preparing other

 

mercury compounds.  It reacts with mercury metal to form mercurous chloride.

 

 

Other significant applications of mercuric chloride include its use as a depolarizer

 

in batteries and as a reagent in organic synthesis and analytical chemistry.

 

 

 

Mercuric chloride is occasionally used to form an amalgam with metals, such

 

as aluminum.  Upon treatment with an aqueous solution of mercuric chloride,

 

aluminum strips quickly become covered by a thin layer of the amalgam.  

 

Normally, aluminum is protected by a thin layer of oxide making it inert.  Once

 

amalgamated, aluminum can undergo a variety of reactions.  For example, it

 

will dissolve in water.  Amalgamated aluminum is also used as a reducing agent

 

in organic synthesis.  Zinc is also commonly amalgamated using mercuric chloride.

 

 

Precautions/Toxicity:

 

Mercuric chloride is highly toxic and corrosive.  It is both acutely poisonous

 

and as a cumulative poison.

 

 

Once absorbed into the bloodstream, inorganic mercury combines with proteins

 

in the plasma or enters the red blood cells.  The liver is a major site of metabolism

 

for mercury, and all mercury absorbed from the stomach and intestine is carried

 

in the blood directly to the liver.  It accumulates in the kidneys, and may cause

 

severe damage.  Poisoning can result from inhalation, ingestion, or absorption

 

through the skin.

 

 

Download, read and understand the MSDS and the hazards and precautions

 

involved with handling this substance.

 

 

Click here to download MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

 

 

Packaging:

 

Contents of 100 grams comes packed in 250ml sized wide-mouth jar.

 

 


Quantity: