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Mercury is a unique metallic element.
Mercury is a unique metallic element.
Looking at the periodic table above, look for the element Hg (Mercury) above. Hg has atomic number 80, which places it right in the center of our metals. Like other metals, it has a shiny luster and can conduct electricity. Mercury is a strange metal though....
Mercury is a liquid at 25° C
Mercury is a liquid at 25° C
Look again at the periodic table. Do you see the 2 elements highlighted in blue? Mercury (Hg) and Bromine (Br) are the ONLY 2 elements that exist as a liquid at room temperature (25° C). Like any other liquid, mercury will flow to fit any container. Mercury's chemical symbol is Hg because it comes from the Greek word hydrargyrum, which means "liquid silver"
Is the planet of Mercury made of Hg?
Is the planet of Mercury made of Hg?
Not quite. Mercury's unique liquid properties mean it flows and can move quickly. Humans have known about Mercury for thousands of years. The Romans dedicated gods to all aspects of life and the universe. Mercury was the messenger god of speed, so the "fast metal" was given the name in his honor.
The Romans also named the celestial bodies in honor of these gods. The planet closest to the sun has the smallest orbital and makes the fastest lap around our star. In the god's honor, that planet was named Mercury as well. There is probably trace amounts of Hg in Mercury's crust, but nothing significant we know about.
Is Mercury useful to us?
Is Mercury useful to us?
Vials of Mercury have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs that date back to 1500 BCE. The Egyptians were highly sophisticated, and believed to be experts in the fields of astronomy, engineering and health science. They didn't just keep vials of Mercury for nothing! In China and Tibet, as well as a number of other ancient societies, Mercury was used as a "medical remedy" and even to chase away "evil spirits".
We now know that Mercury is a neurotoxin, but it wasn't very long ago that people used Mercury-mixed amalgams in dental fillings. Mercury is resistant to acid degradation and was easy to mix with other metals to flow during the operation and then cure at body temperature. This made for a lot of Mercury-Silver mouths. Ask your parents and grandparents if they had Mercury fillings!
Travis Scott spent $25k on his grill, which is made of 100% non-Mercury metals.
Mercury amalgam fillings are about $250/tooth to replace. Don't drink too much soda or you might have to pay up more than Mr. Scott after his lawsuits.
Mercury amalgam fillings are about $250/tooth to replace. Don't drink too much soda or you might have to pay up more than Mr. Scott after his lawsuits.
WARNING: MERCURY IS VERY BAD FOR YOUR BRAIN.
WARNING: MERCURY IS VERY BAD FOR YOUR BRAIN.
Mercury ionizes rapidly to become a Hg++ ion, which causes a number of problems for the proteins and membranes of almost all of the cells in your body. The exact mechanics for mercury toxicity are still only speculated upon, but it is known to cause many neurological issues as well as various cancers.
"The inhalation of elemental mercury vapours can cause neurological and behavioural disorders, such as tremors, emotional instability, insomnia, memory loss, neuromuscular changes and headaches. They can also harm the kidneys and thyroid. High exposures have also led to deaths." (GreenFacts, 2020)
Methylmercury, the chemical discussed in the video, has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier much more rapidly and is significantly more dangerous.
Mercury was hot stuff in the history of temperature. Despite the neurological issues we now know about, Mercury was fundamental for developing our temperature scales. Because of it's distinct look and specific heat capacity, Mercury was very used as the material inside thermometers because a specific quantity of Mercury will always expand to the same volume at a specified temperature. This allowed scientists to accurately measure and standardize the scales of °C (Celsius), °F (Fahrenheit), and K (Kelvin)
If this scientist was able to reach Absolute Zero (0 K), he'd be one cool dude. That's -273.15 °C, or −459.67 °F for those non-scientists.
Absolute zero is a theoretical value since we can not ever measure 0 without inherently transferring energy to that material. The chance of it ever actually being achieved is theoretically, "absolute zero".
Mercury will bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food webs.
Mercury will bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food webs.
The higher in the food web an organism resides, the higher the concentration of trace toxins like mercury. If smaller animals on the web can not eliminate mercury from their system, when consumed by higher level predators those apex animals will in turn become more contaminated. Dolphin meat is high in mercury for this reason, which makes it unfit for human consumption. Despite this risk, many fisheries in Japan have been caught killing and selling Dolphin meat and trying to pass it off as other less-dangerous fish. The documentary, "The Cove" covered some of these issues.
In the film, it was shown that dolphin meat ended up causing mercury poisoning to many unsuspecting sushi eaters
My Mercury (20 points)
My Mercury (20 points)
(9 points) Create a single Google Spreadsheet that includes a temperature conversion formula. Embed each of the 3 sheet tabs as individual inserts like linked below. 1 point for the correct conversion, 1 point for formatting, 1 point for embedding * 3 sheets = 9 points total. Include at least 5 temperature values for each chart and USE A DIFFERENT COLOR SCHEME THAN THE EXAMPLE OR YOU GET 0 POINTS!
(6 points) Collect the temperatures on your Birthday within Los Angeles (Burbank Airport seems to be the most reliable source) using Weather Underground's temperature database. Format this data in a table (2 points). Convert the temperature from F to K (1 point). Insert a graph of your data (2 points) with a best fit line (1 point)
You will need to share your spreadsheet, and will need to embed your graph using the embed tool.
(5 points) Tuna Slides
Small amounts of mercury and methylmercury can be consumed by eating certain seafood. Some foods (shark, swordfish) are considered higher in mercury, so it is not recommended to you eat those products frequently. There have been reports of cities in Japan that have suffered from widespread Mercury poisoning as a result of consuming illegal dolphin meat.
Create a Google Slide presentation that calculates mercury consumption based on tuna brand/type. Are there certain brands that are more safe/lower mercury than others? Are there certain people that should avoid tuna? What concentrations are safe? How many cans of Tuna can we eat safely? Can we legitimately eat too much tuna?
(1 point) = Embed slide in sites
(1 point) = Include at least 5 slides about mercury consumption from tuna
(1 point) = Include at least 2 graphs or tables (with sources) that you will use to calculate your maximum allotted tuna consumption
(1 point) = Calculate how many cans of tuna you can eat (should include a calculation based on body mass + type of tuna) in a day/week/year.
(1 point) = Calculate how many cans of tuna a vulnerable pop member (pregnant, child, elder) can eat in a day/week/year.
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