Mercury belongs to group 12 of the periodic table. It is a heavy metal. It is considered both an element and a metal. Its periodic neighbors are Gold and Ti. Mercury has an atomic number of 80 and its atomic mass is 80.201. It has two main oxidation states which are +1 and +). It contains seven stable isotopes (196Hg, 198Hg, 199Hg, 200Hg, 201Hg, 202Hg and 204Hg). The most abundant isotopes are 202Hg, 200Hg and 199Hg, which represent 29.6%, 23.3% and 17.0% of the total mass, respectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay As a heavy metal, mercury has unique properties. It is liquid at room temperature and is approximately 14 times heavier than water. The main ore of mercury is cinnabar (mercuric sulfide or HgS), which has been mined in relatively few places on earth. The mines at Idrija (now in Slovenia) operated for over 500 years until they closed in 1995. The mercury mines at Almaden, Spain, have been in operation since 415 BC. Mercury is an extremely rare chalcophile component, although it has been known for a long time. , due to its intermittent appearance as a particular local metal and its relative simplicity of arrangement from its main mineral. Volcanic hot springs and sedimentary rocks modified by phreatic action are the fundamental sources of mercury mineralization. The primary mineral is cinnabar HgS, alongside the metacinnabar group of minerals in which varying measures of Zn and Fe replace Hg and Se replace S. Other essential Hg minerals include local mercury, banderoite Hg3S2Cl 2 and Livingstonite HgSb 4S 8. Auxiliary Minerals Hg, incorporate schuetteite Hg3(SO4) O2 and calomel Hg2Cl2. Mercury also appears as the next constituent in some sulfides, for example the tetrahedrite Cu3SbS3. 25 and sphalerite ZnS. The expansive size of the apparent Hg 2+ particle, as well as its low level of ionic character, blocks its consolidation in many silicate minerals framing the shake. Molten rocks, basalt and gabbro contain much lower overall Hg (normally 10 μg kg-1) than stone (normal 80 μg kg-1). Significantly higher Hg levels (up to 1,500 μg kg-1) were found in eclogite and peridotite in incorporations into kimberlite channels, suggesting that the deep envelope and upper mantle may be considerably advanced in Hg compared to the rocks of the upper crust. In sedimentary rocks, normal Hg levels are higher in shales (400 μg kg-1) than in carbonate rocks (40 μg kg-1) and sandstone (30 μg kg-1). Keep in mind: this is just a sample.Get a custom article now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayThe relative enhancement of Hg in shales is significantly more marked in some dark, nature-rich shales, which may contain a few mg kg-1 of Hg linked to earth minerals, natural accumulations and sulphides..