What is the mysterious gas in the sealed flask of mercury?

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The discussion centers around a chemistry class experiment involving a sealed beaker containing liquid mercury and purple/blue crystals, along with a gas present in the beaker. Participants speculate on the identity of the crystals, suggesting they might be iodine dissolved in water, as iodine is known to be partially soluble. The opacity of mercury raises questions about visibility within the beaker, prompting curiosity about how the contents can be observed despite the mercury's opaque nature. The conversation highlights the challenges of identifying substances in a sealed environment and the properties of mercury and iodine in a laboratory setting.
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My chemistry class has a beaker with liquid mercury in a sealed beaker with a some purple/blue crystals in it. It also looks as if there is some sort of gas in the beaker. There is no way to run electricity through the beaker.
Does anyone know what this is or what it is used for?
 
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Mercury is opaque, how can you see what's inside of it?

Maybe it's iodine dissolved in some water, and it's saturated to it doesn't all dissolve. That IS if iodine is soluble in water, but you get the idea...
 

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