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    • Items representing Mercury element, Mercury droplets, symbol Hg
    Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato Published 15 November 2019 Size: 100 KB Referencing Hub media

    On the periodic table1 of elements2, mercury3 is represented by the symbol Hg. Although it is a metal4, it is liquid at room temperature5.

    Mercury droplets © nehru, 123RF Ltd

    1. periodic table: The organisation of all known elements into groups with similar properties.
    2. element: A substance made of atoms that all have the same atomic number. Elements cannot be split into simpler substances using normal chemical methods.
    3. mercury: 1. A transition metal in Group 12 of the periodic table – symbol Hg, atomic number 80. 2. Mercury is also the smallest and innermost planet in our Solar System.
    4. metal: Any of a category of elements that usually have a shiny surface, are generally good conductors of heat and electricity and can be melted or fused, hammered into thin sheets or drawn into wires (for example, copper).
    5. temperature: A measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of an object or substance. Temperature is measured with a thermometer calibrated in one or more temperature scales. Kelvin scale temperature is a measure of the average energy of the molecules of a body.

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    Mercury

    Mercury – named after a Roman god known for speed and agility – is a chemical element that has fascinated humans for thousands of years. Mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid under ...

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      periodic table

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      2. The organisation of all known elements into groups with similar properties.

      metal

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      3. Any of a category of elements that usually have a shiny surface, are generally good conductors of heat and electricity and can be melted or fused, hammered into thin sheets or drawn into wires (for example, copper).

      element

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      4. A substance made of atoms that all have the same atomic number. Elements cannot be split into simpler substances using normal chemical methods.

      temperature

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      5. A measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of an object or substance. Temperature is measured with a thermometer calibrated in one or more temperature scales. Kelvin scale temperature is a measure of the average energy of the molecules of a body.

      mercury

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      6. 1. A transition metal in Group 12 of the periodic table – symbol Hg, atomic number 80.

      2. Mercury is also the smallest and innermost planet in our Solar System.

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