numos - 8-3-2014 at 20:07
Apparently Hg2Br2 can be prepared by the addition of elemental Bromine to elemental Mercury.
It seems like a rather rare compound, and the fact that it fluoresces red makes it a very tempting chemical to add to my collection.
A few things are making me doubt this though - the fact that it seems so freaking toxic!!
Sigma Aldrich MSDS:
"H300 + H310 Fatal if swallowed or in contact with skin
H330 Fatal if inhaled.
H400 Very toxic to aquatic life.
Do not breathe dust/ fume/ gas/ mist/ vapours/ spray.
P264 Wash hands thoroughly after handling.
P273 Avoid release to the environment.
P280 Wear protective gloves/ protective clothing.
P284 Wear respiratory protection.
P302 + P350 IF ON SKIN: Gently wash with plenty of soap and water.
P310 Immediately call a POISON CENTER or doctor/ physician. "
It is the first compound that I would be working with that is rated 4 on the fire diamond. I feel like this is a good starting point as it is a solid
and safer to work with than a rated 4 gas.
However since the product is a solid, inhalation is not much of a problem right? A simple particle filter would be sufficient?
How would I prepare it, apparatus, setup and alike. I don't know what the reaction will be like, vigorous, slow, explosive...I'm afraid that the
reaction will heat and spew out the product. Also how would I purify the Hg2Br2 from the unreacted bromine? Add ethanol to dissolve the Bromine and
filter out the Hg2Br2?
Compared to some synthesis out there, this is cruelly easy and tempting to do, but can people just give me an opinion if I should attempt this.
I would store this in a sealed ampule.
I do not have a fume hood, but I do have a full body hazmat suit along with a respirator that is rated for Chlorine and related compounds.
I may be able to get permission to use the fume hood at my school. (High school)
Edit: Added closing quation mark
[Edited on 3-9-2014 by numos]
thesmug - 8-3-2014 at 22:01
I think there are special gas mask filters specifically for mercury vapor, but I'm not sure. Combine those with halogen cartridges and I believe you
have nothing to worry about in that respect.
TheChemiKid - 9-3-2014 at 05:18
Wear VERY thick nitrile gloves and a lab coat that covers your entire body.
bismuthate - 9-3-2014 at 06:12
I would recomend reacting concentrated solutions of mercury nitrate and sodium bromide and filtering the percipitate it would be a lot easier than
reacting the elements directly.
EDIT a note about safety: Mercury is more dangerous than a highly toxic gas in my oppinion because it is a cumulative poison and I would rather deal
with SbH3 or HCN ect than mercury but that's my opinion. I'm kinda paranoid.
[Edited on 9-3-2014 by bismuthate]
TheChemiKid - 9-3-2014 at 06:28
I agree. I would work with Nitric Acid over Bromine any day.
Success!!
numos - 9-3-2014 at 15:39
Sooo... I took thesmug's advice and just went for it with a full mask and respirator.
My setup was very simple:
A 100ml boiling flask was put in an ice-bath and filled with about 2-3grams of elemental bromine.
Then I connected a gas adapter with a tube leading *away* from me as I was unsure if gases would be produced. I then put in a bead of mercury (one
gram-ish) in the tube and rolled the Mercury into the boiling flask. (see image1)
and..... nothing. No sound, gases, heat, color change, nothing.
However After a minute or so I swished the flask a little and noticed the Bromine had turned a bit purple. (image2 - it's hard to see in the photo,
but the Bromine is definitely purple) I also noticed some flackey brown deposits at the bottom of the flask.
So I poured off the rest of the Bromine (heavily contaminated but good for making more Hg2Br2) and added some ethanol (70%) to the deposit. The
Bromine was dissolved and the brown color went away leaving the deposit a grey white color. (image3) I filtered this with ethanol and dried the
product. (image4)
Under a black light I saw very dim, but defiantly present salmon colored glow. (image5 is under normal light, image6 in under black light)
However only the white portion of the deposit glowed the grey stuff didn't do anything - any ideas what it is? Not completely dry or maybe converted
to HgBr2?
Edit: clicked post instead of preview, finished post.
[Edited on 3-9-2014 by numos]