Mercury(II) chloride nonoccurrence in nature: A molecular-level investigation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mousavi, Aliyar^{; *}

Affiliations: Math & Sciences Department, Nashua Community College, Amherst Street, Nashua, NH, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Math & Sciences Department, Nashua Community College, 505 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH 03063, USA. Tel.: +1 603 339 4964; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Prepared by Chinese alchemists in the first millennium A.D., mercury(II) chloride (HgCl2) has been known since the Middle Ages. However, as it has never been found in mercury mines, its nonoccurrence in nature appears to be a basic assumption. Electrochemical principles were applied to show that the secondary mineral calomel in mercury mines is partly converted to HgCl2 in a multistep natural process. This showed how HgCl2 does occur naturally, providing a theoretical basis for the detection and quantification of solid HgCl2 as a mineral in mercury mines.

Keywords: Calomel, complexation, mercury, mercury(II) chloride, oxidation-reduction

DOI: 10.3233/MGC-210009

Journal: Main Group Chemistry, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 149-153, 2021