Mercury
He's more than just a god, a planet or a car!
Description
This silvery white element is a liquid at room temperature (THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT IS A NON-METAL). It is a metal, and is very hot. It alloys with other metals, such as gold and silver. These metals that mercury unites with are called amalgams. Mercury is usually manmade and rarely found in nature. If it were, it would most likely be found in the Earth's crust (not a pizza or sandwich crust). The symbol for mercury is Hg (for latin form, hydrargyrum, or liquid silver) and the atomic number is 80. It is group 12, period 6 on the periodic table. The atomic weight is 200.59.
History
Mercury was discovered a little 2000 B.C (B.C does not stand for "bacon cheeseburger") by Chinese and Hindus. It was later discovered by Romans and Greeks. Greeks used it for ointment, and Romans used cosmetics.
Uses of Mercury
Mercury is used in laboratories. It is also used to make thermometers, barometers, diffusion pumps, mercury switches, and even some batteries called Mercury cells.
Other Interesting Facts
Mercury is poisonous to humans, and it is absorbed through the respiratory system and tract. The melting point (seems weird that mercury has a melting point, doesn't it?) rounded would be -39*C, and the boiling point rounded would be 359*C.