What can be used to clean mercury?

What can be used to clean mercury?

• A. 10% nitric, 90% distilled water
• B. 5% nitric, 95% distilled water
• C. 10% sulfuric acid, 90% distilled water
• D. Water only

Answer: (A)

Dissolving metallic mercury is the key idea here. To clean mercury effectively, you want to convert it into a soluble form so it can be removed rather than left as droplets. Nitric acid acts as a strong oxidizer and reacts with mercury to form mercuric nitrate, which dissolves in water. A solution with about 10% nitric acid in distilled water provides enough oxidizing power to dissolve mercury while keeping handling practical; the water component helps dilute the acid and carry away the dissolved mercury. Water alone won’t dissolve mercury and will leave residues that can continue to pose a hazard. Sulfuric acid can react differently and isn’t as reliable for forming a soluble mercury salt, making cleanup less effective. A weaker nitric acid solution (like 5%) would be less capable of driving the dissolution quickly, so the 10% nitric acid solution is the best choice for enabling cleanup.

Dissolving metallic mercury is the key idea here. To clean mercury effectively, you want to convert it into a soluble form so it can be removed rather than left as droplets. Nitric acid acts as a strong oxidizer and reacts with mercury to form mercuric nitrate, which dissolves in water. A solution with about 10% nitric acid in distilled water provides enough oxidizing power to dissolve mercury while keeping handling practical; the water component helps dilute the acid and carry away the dissolved mercury. Water alone won’t dissolve mercury and will leave residues that can continue to pose a hazard. Sulfuric acid can react differently and isn’t as reliable for forming a soluble mercury salt, making cleanup less effective. A weaker nitric acid solution (like 5%) would be less capable of driving the dissolution quickly, so the 10% nitric acid solution is the best choice for enabling cleanup.