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Mercury and Lead – Comparison – Properties

This article contains comparison of key thermal and atomic properties of mercury and lead, two comparable chemical elements from the periodic table. It also contains basic descriptions and applications of both elements. Mercury vs Lead.

mercury and lead - comparison

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Mercury and Lead – About Elements

Mercury

Mercury is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum. Mercury is a heavy, silvery d-block element, mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure.

Lead

Lead is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and has a relatively low melting point. Lead is widely used as a gamma shield. Major advantage of lead shield is in its compactness due to its higher density. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and concludes three major decay chains of heavier elements.

Mercury in Periodic Table

Lead in Periodic Table

Source: www.luciteria.com

Mercury and Lead – Applications

Mercury

Mercury is used primarily for the manufacture of industrial chemicals or for electrical and electronic applications. However, because of its toxicity, many uses of mercury are being phased out or are under review. It is used in some thermometers, especially ones which are used to measure high temperatures. Mercury easily forms alloys, called amalgams, with other metals such as gold, silver and tin. The ease with which it amalgamates with gold made it useful in recovering gold from its ores. Mercury amalgams were also used in dental fillings. Gaseous mercury is used in mercury-vapor lamps and some “neon sign” type advertising signs and fluorescent lamps.

Lead

Lead metal has several useful mechanical properties, including high density, low melting point, ductility, and relative inertness. Lead is widely used for car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass, radiation protection and in some solders. The largest use of lead in the early 21st century is in lead–acid batteries. The lead in batteries undergoes no direct contact with humans, so there are fewer toxicity concerns. Lead is used in high voltage power cables as sheathing material to prevent water diffusion into insulation; this use is decreasing as lead is being phased out. A lead is widely used as a gamma shield. Major advantage of lead shield is in its compactness due to its higher density. On the other hand depleted uranium is much more effective due to its higher Z. Depleted uranium is used for shielding in portable gamma ray sources.

Mercury and Lead – Comparison in Table

Element Mercury Lead
Density 13.534 g/cm3 11.34 g/cm3
Ultimate Tensile Strength N/A 17 MPa
Yield Strength N/A 5.5 MPa
Young’s Modulus of Elasticity N/A 16 GPa
Mohs Scale N/A 1.5
Brinell Hardness N/A 38 MPa
Vickers Hardness N/A N/A
Melting Point -38.9 °C 327.5 °C
Boiling Point 357 °C 1740 °C
Thermal Conductivity 8.3 W/mK 35 W/mK
Thermal Expansion Coefficient 60.4 µm/mK 28.9 µm/mK
Specific Heat 0.139 J/g K 0.13 J/g K
Heat of Fusion 2.295 kJ/mol 4.799 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization 59.229 kJ/mol 177.7 kJ/mol