Mercury(II) nitrate explained

Mercury(II) nitrate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is the mercury(II) salt of nitric acid . It contains mercury(II) cations and nitrate anions, and water of crystallization in the case of a hydrous salt. Mercury(II) nitrate forms hydrates . Anhydrous and hydrous salts are colorless or white soluble crystalline solids that are occasionally used as a reagents. Mercury(II) nitrate is made by treating mercury with hot concentrated nitric acid. Neither anhydrous nor monohydrate has been confirmed by X-ray crystallography.[1] The anhydrous material is more widely used.

Uses

Mercury(II) nitrate is used as an oxidizing agent in organic synthesis, as a nitrification agent, as an analytical reagent in laboratories, in the manufacture of felt, and in the manufacture of mercury fulminate.[2] An alternative qualitative Zeisel test can be done with the use of mercury(II) nitrate instead of silver nitrate, leading to the formation of scarlet red mercury(II) iodide.[3]

Health information

Mercury compounds are highly toxic. The use of this compound by hatters and the subsequent mercury poisoning of said hatters is a common theory of where the phrase "mad as a hatter" came from.

See also

References

  1. Nolte . M. . Pantenburg . I. . Meyer . G. . 9 December 2005 . The Monohydrate of Basic Mercuric Nitrate, [Hg(OH)](NO3)(H2O) ]. . de . . 632 . 1 . 111–113 . 10.1002/zaac.200500344 . 0044-2313 . 16 May 2022 . 27 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211127161557/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/zaac.200500344 . live.
  2. Web site: 2023 . Mercury nitrate monohydrate . June 30, 2024 . Chemical Book.
  3. Book: Wang, Zerong. Comprehensive Organic Name Reactions and Reagents. John Wiley & Sons. 2010. 3115–3118. Zeisel Determination. 10.1002/9780470638859.conrr689. 9780470638859.

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