Mercury belongs to group 12 of the periodic table. It is a heavy metal. It is considered an element as well as a metal. Its periodic neighbors are Gold and Ti. Mercury has an atomic number of 80 and its atomic mass is. 201. It has two main oxidation states which are +1 and +). It has seven stable isotopes (196Hg, 198Hg, 199Hg, 200Hg, 201Hg, 202Hg and 204Hg). The most abundant isotopes are 202Hg, 200Hg and 199Hg which comprise 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Being a heavy metal, mercury has unique properties. It is liquid at room temperature and is about 14 times heavier than water. The main mercury ore is cinnabar (mercuric sulfide or HgS), which has been mined in relatively few places on earth. The Idrija mines (now in Slovenia) operated for more than 500 years until they closed in 1995. The mercury mines of Almaden, Spain, have been active since 415 BC. Mercury is an extremely rare chalcophile component, despite being known for very distant times. , due to its intermittent appearance as a particular local metal and its relative simplicity of arrangement from its parent ore. Volcanic hot springs and sedimentary rocks modified by phreatic action are the fundamental sources of mercury mineralization. The primary mineral is cinnabar HgS, along with the collection of metacinnabar minerals in which varying measures of Zn and Fe replace Hg and Se replaces S. Other essential Hg minerals, incorporate local mercury, corderoite Hg3S2Cl 2 and livingstonite HgSb 4S 8. Auxiliary Hg minerals, incorporate schuetteite Hg3(SO4) O2 and calomel Hg2Cl2. Mercury similarly occurs as a later constituent in some sulfides, for example the tetrahedrite Cu3SbS3. 25 and sphalerite ZnS. The expansive size of the apparent Hg 2+ particle, together with its low level of ionic character, blocks its consolidation into many fragment-forming silicate minerals. Molten rocks, basalt and gabbro generally have much lower Hg (normally 10 μg kg-1) than stone (normally 80 μg kg-1). Substantially higher Hg levels (up to 1500 μg kg-1) have been found in eclogite and peridotite in channel incorporations of the kimberlite, suggesting that the deep hull and upper mantle may be largely advanced in Hg relative to rocks of the upper crust. In sedimentary rocks, normal Hg levels are higher in shale (400 μg kg-1) than in carbonate rocks (40 μg kg-1) and sandstone (30 μg kg-1). Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay The relative enhancement of Hg in shale is significantly more distinct in some naturally rich dark shales, which may contain some mg kg-1 Hg related to dirty minerals, natural buildups, and sulfides.