Mercury(II) nitrate

Mercury(II) nitrate
IUPAC name Mercury dinitrate Mercury(II) nitrate
Other names Mercuric nitrate
Identifiers
CAS number	10045-94-0 Y,  7783-34-8 (monohydrate)
EC number	233-152-3
UN number	1625
RTECS number	OW8225000
Properties
Molecular formula	Hg(NO3)2
Molar mass	324.7 g/mol
Appearance	colorless crystals or white powder
Density	4.3 g/cm3 (monohydrate)
Melting point	79 °C (monohydrate)
Solubility in water	soluble
Solubility	soluble in nitric acid insoluble in alcohol
Hazards
MSDS	ICSC 0980
EU Index	080-002-00-6
EU classification	Very toxic (T+) Dangerous for the environment (N)
R-phrases	R26/27/28, R33, R50/53
S-phrases	(S1/2), S13, S28, S45, S60, S61
NFPA 704	0 3 1 OX
Flash point	Non-flammable
Related compounds
Other anions	Mercury(II) sulfate Mercury(II) chloride
Other cations	Zinc nitrate Cadmium nitrate
Related compounds	Mercury(I) nitrate
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Mercury(II) nitrate is a toxic colorless or white soluble crystalline mercury(II) salt of nitric acid. It was also used to treat fur to make felt in a process called 'carroting'. The phrase 'mad as a hatter' is associated with psychological illness brought on by excessive exposure to mercury(II) nitrate.^[1] The practice continued in the United States until it was banned in December 1941 by The United States Public Health Service. It is made by reacting hot concentrated nitric acid with mercury metal; dilute nitric acid would produce mercury(I) nitrate. It is an oxidizing agent.

See also

• The Hatter
• Mercury poisoning

References

1. ^ "The Not-So-Mad Hatter: Occupational Hazards of Mercury". http://www.cas.org. 

External links

• ATSDR - ToxFAQs: Mercury
• ATSDR - Public Health Statement: Mercury
• ATSDR - ALERT! Patterns of Metallic Mercury Exposure, 6/26/97
• ATSDR - MMG: Mercury
• ATSDR - Toxicological Profile: Mercury
• Safety data (MSDS)
• Mercuric Nitrate (ICSC)
• Mercury
• Mercury Information Packages
• How to Make Good Mercury Electrical Connections, Popular Science monthly, February 1919, Unnumbered page, Scanned by Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=7igDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT14