2 3 live&learn&rejoice: Elements that are liquid at room temperature?

March 12, 2011

Elements that are liquid at room temperature?

Those would be bromine - see http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/liquids/index.html (courtesy of Purdue) for a nice photo of bromine at room temperature - some gas, some liquid - and mercury - see http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Inorganic_Chemistry/Descriptive_Chemistry/Chem_2C_Transition_Metals_and_Coordination_Complexes/Zinc,_Cadmium,_and_Mercury.

I always thought mercury was in home health thermometers (and, having broken those thermometers, I was always worried that I had endangered countless lives).  But I guess it's no longer used (but haven't figured out what has replaced it.....).

Bromine, however, is a halogen, not a metal.  Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature.  http://www.esse.ou.edu/fund_concepts/Fundamental_Concepts1/Elements/The_Elements.html

Gallium, francium, and cesium all melt at slightly above room temperature (30/86, 27/80.6, and 28/82.4 degrees Celsius/Farenheit, respectively).  Rubidium?  39/102.2 degrees Celsius/Farenheit.

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