Would anyone be able to help me regarding mercury?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RTH
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Mercury
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the safety and feasibility of purchasing and handling elemental mercury. Participants explore various opinions on the risks associated with mercury, its potential uses, and the implications of handling it in different contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to purchase elemental mercury and seeks guidance on its safety and handling, noting conflicting opinions found online.
  • Another participant asserts that mercury is dangerous, especially for someone who is inquiring about it.
  • A participant questions the purpose of acquiring mercury, suggesting that the intended use may influence the associated risks.
  • Some participants acknowledge that while careful handling may mitigate immediate dangers, the varying opinions on safety prompted further inquiry.
  • There is a suggestion that storing mercury in a jar for display purposes might be acceptable, but handling it is generally discouraged.
  • A later reply emphasizes that the specifics of intended use are crucial in assessing the risks of handling mercury.
  • The thread is ultimately closed by moderators due to concerns about safety and liability, citing past incidents involving mishandling of mercury.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the safety of handling elemental mercury, with some emphasizing its dangers and others suggesting that careful handling may be acceptable under certain conditions. The discussion remains unresolved, particularly regarding the feasibility of safely acquiring and using mercury.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the lack of consensus on the safety of mercury handling and the potential risks involved, as well as the implications of specific intended uses. There are references to past incidents that underscore the dangers associated with mercury.

RTH
Messages
4
Reaction score
1
Hello all,
Would anyone be able to help me with a few different questions I have about mercury? I'm looking at the feasibility of purchasing a small amount of elemental mercury and would appreciate if anyone could give me some direction.

On the internet, there seems to be a range of widely differing opinions, some say that it is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs, while others seem to take a more relaxed approach and say it it fine as long as you remain sensible around it, and that it even can be touched as long as you do not have any wounds on your hands (NileRed).

I understand that it is not really sensible to go around inhaling large amounts of it, however is a small amount of elemental mercury alright if it is used in a well ventilated space? I have also been struggling on where to find a place to purchase it in a sensible quantity - could anyone help me with that?

Sorry if this topic has been raised before.
Many thanks in advance
RTH
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Chemistry news on Phys.org
It's dangerous. Especially if you have to ask.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: DaveE
Annddd, the purpose would be?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: russ_watters
Yes, I think you are probably right :biggrin:, admittedly I'm not qualified, however from some research I did I understood it wasn't going to kill me outright or harm me if I was careful with it, however the varying opinions made me want to check.
 
Bystander said:
Annddd, the purpose would be?
Element collection - basically something along the lines of this but without the ampoule.
mercury.PNG
 
I mean, if all you wanted to do was store it in a little jar to look at, no big deal, but otherwise it depends on the very specific details of what you want to do with it. Any sort of handling is not advised.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: jim mcnamara
Yes
russ_watters said:
I mean, if all you wanted to do was store it in a little jar to look at, no big deal, but otherwise it depends on the very specific details of what you want to do with it. Any sort of handling is not advised.
Yes, that's basically it - maybe float some other metal in it.

Kind regards,
RTH
 
Thread closed temporarily for Moderation...
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: jim mcnamara
A consensus of mentors feel that what you are looking into is very dangerous and potentially life threatening. We recommend you not to investigate further and have locked this thread due to liability issues for PF.

Having said that, this thread will remain closed and may be deleted at a later time to deter others from doing similarly dangerous things with mercury.

In Texas, there was a student who managed to acquire some mercury and through mishandling created quite a mess:

https://www.lubbockonline.com/story...ssa-student-takes-mercury-school/15050240007/

and this article about industrial cases:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702399/

Jedi
 

Similar threads

What would happen to a blob of mercury in space?
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
7K
Electrical Help with detecting current/voltage with a coil and a spinning magnet
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
Cleaning a small batch of HDPE flakes obtained from motor oil containers
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Undergrad Producing enough force with a Solenoid
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
I need some kind of propellant gas for an experiment
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
High School Estimates — True Size of the Universe?
  • · Replies 33 ·
2
Replies
33
Views
7K
What Happens When Using Long-Wave Frequencies with Starlink Antennas?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
Which fan/pipe combination is the most efficient?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
4K
Undergrad Infinite Series - Divergence of 1/n question
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Time to empty gas cylinder (problem worked, but would like feedback)
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K