Mercury

Element 80 · Transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number: 80
Atomic mass: 200.59
State at room temperature: Liquid
Melting point: -38.83 °C
Boiling point: 356.7 °C
Density: 13.53 g/cm³
Discovered: Ancient

Physical data from PubChem.¹

Can I eat it?

In food and water: Poison. People take in mercury mostly as methylmercury in fish and shellfish. It damages the kidneys and the nervous system, and an unborn child is at most risk. The WHO says that even small amounts can cause serious health problems. ²

The atom

Shell	Electrons
1 (K)	2
2 (L)	8
3 (M)	18
4 (N)	32
5 (O)	18
6 (P) outermost	2
Total	80

Configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s²

4f ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓

5d ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓

6s ↑ ↓

A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 80 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Xe core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Sources

1

National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

Atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.
2
World Health Organization, 2024. Mercury .
- Exposure to mercury ... even small amounts ... may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life.
- The health impacts of mercury are numerous including kidney and nervous system damage
- People are mainly exposed to methylmercury, an organic compound, when they eat fish and shellfish that contain the compound.

Specimen

Can I eat it?

The atom

Related elements

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Sources