Mercury(II) nitrate
Chemical compound
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Mercury(II) nitrate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Hg(NO3)2. It is the mercury(II) salt of nitric acid HNO3. It contains mercury(II) cations Hg2+ and nitrate anions NO−3, and water of crystallization H2O in the case of a hydrous salt. Mercury(II) nitrate forms hydrates Hg(NO3)2·xH2O. Anhydrous and hydrous salts are colorless or white soluble crystalline solids that are occasionally used as a reagents. Mercury(II) nitrate is made by treating mercury with hot concentrated nitric acid. Neither anhydrous nor monohydrate has been confirmed by X-ray crystallography.[1] The anhydrous material is more widely used.[clarification needed]
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| Names | |
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| IUPAC names
Mercury dinitrate Mercury(II) nitrate | |
| Other names
Mercuric nitrate | |
| Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.030.126 |
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| UNII | |
| UN number | 1625 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| Hg(NO3)2 | |
| Molar mass | 324.60 g/mol (anhydrous) |
| Appearance | colorless crystals or white powder |
| Odor | sharp |
| Density | 4.3 g/cm3 (monohydrate) |
| Melting point | 79 °C (174 °F; 352 K) (monohydrate) |
| soluble | |
| Solubility | soluble in nitric acid, acetone, ammonia insoluble in ethanol |
| −74.0·10−6 cm3/mol | |
| Hazards | |
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| Danger | |
| H272, H300, H310, H330, H373, H410 | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Flash point | Nonflammable |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | ICSC 0980 |
| Related compounds | |
Other anions |
Mercury(II) sulfate Mercury(II) chloride |
Other cations |
Zinc nitrate Cadmium nitrate |
Related compounds |
Mercury(I) nitrate |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Uses
Mercury(II) nitrate is used as an oxidizing agent in organic synthesis, as a nitrification agent, as an analytical reagent in laboratories, in the manufacture of felt, and in the manufacture of mercury fulminate.[2] An alternative qualitative Zeisel test can be done with the use of mercury(II) nitrate instead of silver nitrate, leading to the formation of scarlet red mercury(II) iodide.[3]
Health information
Mercury compounds are highly toxic. The use of this compound by hatters and the subsequent mercury poisoning of said hatters is a common theory of where the phrase "mad as a hatter" came from.