Mercury(II) hydroxide

Mercury(II) hydroxide
Names
IUPAC name
mercury dihydroxide
Identifiers
ChemSpider 14227333
Jmol-3D images Image
PubChem 12989292
Properties
H2HgO2
Molar mass 234.605
Except where noted otherwise, data is given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C (77 °F), 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Mercury(II) hydroxide or mercury dihydroxide is an inorganic metal hydroxide with the chemical formula HgH2O2 or more commonly written as Hg(OH)2.

Synthesis

It is not possible to make the chemical by adding OH to Hg2+ in aqueous solution since this merely precipitates yellow solid HgO, although it is possible that Hg(OH)2 is momentarily produced during the reaction.[1]

The first experimental evidence for the existence of the molecule was reported by Wang and Andrews in 2004.[1] They produced it by irradiating a frozen mixture of mercury, oxygen and hydrogen with light from a mercury arc lamp. The mixture had been produced by evaporating mercury atoms at 50 °C into a gas consisting of neon, argon or deuterium (in separate experiments) plus 2 to 8% hydrogen and 0.2 to 2.0% oxygen. The mixture was then condensed at 5 kelvin onto a caesium iodide window through which it could be irradiated.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Xuefeng Wang; Lester Andrews (November 18, 2004). "Infrared Spectrum of Hg(OH)2 in Solid Neon and Argon". Inorganic Chemistry 44 (1): 108–11. doi:10.1021/ic048673w.