ScienceHideout - 11-9-2011 at 08:46
If I mixed mercurous chloride and an alkali hydroxide, will it make the alkali chloride and mercury?
I read in my MSDS that mcrs chloride has an imcompatibility with alkalis, so will this happen?
hkparker - 11-9-2011 at 11:51
Mercury(I) Chloride has a solubility of .2mg/100ml, so do you mean a dry mix? Mixing them in solution would be a slow reaction due to the poor
solubility.
Also, Mercury Chloride decomposes on exposure to UV light to make (more) soluble (7.4g/100ml) Mercury(II) Chloride and elemental Mercury.
Hg<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub> --> HgCl<sub>2</sub> + Hg
A reaction between an aqueous Mercury(II) ion and hydroxide would precipitate HgO, because the possible Hg(OH)<sub>2</sub> intermediate
would decompose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury(II)_hydroxide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury(I)_chloride