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Mercury(I) sulfate, commonly called mercurous sulphate ( UK) or mercurous sulfate ( US) is the
In the crystal, mercurous sulfate is made up of Hg22+ center with an Hg-Hg distance of about 2.50 Å. The SO42− anions form both long and short Hg-O bonds ranging from 2.23 to 2.93 Å.
Focusing on the shorter Hg-O bonds, the Hg – Hg – O bond angle is 165°±1°.
accessed 11 December 2010 :Hg2(NO3)2 + H2SO4 → Hg2SO4 + 2 HNO3 It can also be prepared by reacting an excess of
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
Hg2SO4. Mercury(I) sulfate is a metallic compound that is a white, pale yellow or beige powder. It is a metallic salt of sulfuric acid formed by replacing both hydrogen atoms with mercury(I). It is highly toxic; it could be fatal if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed by skin.
Structure
In the crystal, mercurous sulfate is made up of Hg22+ center with an Hg-Hg distance of about 2.50 Å. The SO42− anions form both long and short Hg-O bonds ranging from 2.23 to 2.93 Å.
Focusing on the shorter Hg-O bonds, the Hg – Hg – O bond angle is 165°±1°.
Preparation
One way to prepare mercury(I) sulfate is to mix the acidic solution of mercury(I) nitrate with 1 to 6sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...
solution:,Google Books resultaccessed 11 December 2010 :Hg2(NO3)2 + H2SO4 → Hg2SO4 + 2 HNO3 It can also be prepared by reacting an excess of
mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
with concentrated sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...
:
:2 Hg + 2 H2SO4 → Hg2SO4 + 2 H2O + SO2
Use in electrochemical cells
Mercury(I) sulfate is often used in electrochemical cells. It was first introduced in electrochemical cells by Latimer Clark in 1872,"George Augustus Hulett: from Liquid Crystals to Standard Cell" by John T. Stock. ''Bull. Hist. Chem.'' Volume 25, Number 2, 2000, p.91-98 It was then alternatively used inWeston cell
The Weston standard cell is a wet-chemical cell that produces a highly stable voltage suitable as a laboratory standard for calibration
In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values deliver ...
s made by George Augustus Hulett in 1911. It has been found to be a good electrode at high temperatures above 100 °C along with silver sulfate.
Mercury(I) sulfate has been found to decompose at high temperatures. The decomposition process is endothermic
In thermochemistry, an endothermic process () is any thermodynamic process with an increase in the enthalpy (or internal energy ) of the system.Oxtoby, D. W; Gillis, H.P., Butler, L. J. (2015).''Principle of Modern Chemistry'', Brooks Cole. p. ...
, and it occurs between 335 °C and 500 °C.
Mercury(I) sulfate has unique properties that make the standard cells possible. It has a rather low solubility (about one gram per liter); diffusion from the cathode system is not excessive; and it is sufficient to give a large potential at a mercury electrode."Sulphates of Mercury and Standard Cells." by Elliott, R. B. and Hulett, G. A. ''The Journal of Physical Chemistry'' 36.7 (1932): 2083–2086.
References
{{Sulfates Sulfates Mercury(I) compounds