The Instrumentation Center

Mercury

Contributor: Brenda Leady

About the Display: 

• Mercury thermometer - several states now have bans on mercury thermometers. The sale of mercury thermometers, thermostats, and novelty items containing mercury has been banned since 2007. Mercury has also been phased out of schools in Ohio, as no school through 12th grade is permitted to purchase mercury, mercury compounds, or mercury-containing measuring devices for classroom use (Source).
• Look at the thermometer: it is 33 ^oCelsius inside the box. Who would have know that the LEDs cause so much heat? The metal Gallium melts at 30 ^oC.  Check it out!
• The Mad Hatter -  hatters used to use mercurous nitrate (Hg₂(NO₃)₂) to cure felt. The exposure to mercury vapors caused many hatters to go mad due to mercury poisoning!
• Mercuro-Chrome (merbromin) - was a popular topical antiseptic utilized for minor cuts and scrapes which was developed in 1918 by a physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and was a common household first-aid item for decades. The bright red stain it left on the skin was a defining characteristic of its usage.
• The active ingredient in the original Mercuro-Chrome product was merbromin, which is an organomercuric compound. The name "Mercuro-Chrome" comes from its mercury content ("mercuro") and its coloring properties ("chrome").

• Mercuro-Chrome is no longer sold in the United States and several other countries due to concerns about its active ingredient. In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reclassified merbromin as "not generally recognized as safe and effective," which effectively halted its distribution in the U.S.. The FDA cited concerns over the potential for mercury toxicity, especially with repeated use or application on large areas of the body.

• Newer products sold under the name "Mercuro-Chrome" today are often mercury-free and use different active ingredients, such as benzalkonium chloride.

About the Contributor: Dr. Brenda Leady is a Lecturer for the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Toledo whose doctoral research involved mercury bioaccumulation in Lake Erie. 

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