Mercury ( II ) chloride - wikipedia Mercury ( II ) chloride Mercury ( II ) chloride Names IUPAC names Mercury ( II ) chloride Mercury dichloride Other names Mercuric chloride Corrosive sublimate Identifiers CAS Number 7487 - 94 - 7 3D model ( JSmol ) Interactive image ChemSpider 22517 ECHA InfoCard 100.028. 454 EC Number 231 - 299 - 8 KEGG C13377 PubChem CID 24085 RTECS number OV9100000 UN number 1624 InChI InChI = 1S / 2ClH. Hg / h2 * 1H ; / q ; ; + 2 / p - 2 SMILES Cl ( Hg ) Cl Properties Chemical formula HgCl Molar mass 271.52 g / mol Appearance colorless or white solid Odor odorless Density 5.43 g / cm Melting point 276 ° C ( 529 ° F ; 549 K ) Boiling point 304 ° C ( 579 ° F ; 577 K ) Solubility in water 3.6 g / 100 mL ( 0 ° C ) 7.4 g / 100 mL ( 20 ° C ) 48 g / 100 mL ( 100 ° C ) Solubility 4 g / 100 mL ( ether ) soluble in alcohol, acetone, ethyl acetate slightly soluble in benzene, CS, pyridine Acidity ( pK ) 3.2 ( 0.2 M solution ) Magnetic susceptibility ( χ ) − 82.0 10 cm / mol Refractive index ( n ) 1.859 Structure Crystal structure orthogonal Coordination geometry linear Molecular shape linear Dipole moment zero Thermochemistry Std molar entropy ( S ) 144 J mol K Std enthalpy of formation ( Δ H ) − 230 kJ mol Pharmacology ATC code D08AK03 ( WHO ) Hazards Safety data sheet ICSC 0979 EU classification ( DSD ) ( outdated ) T+ ( T+ ) C ( C ) N ( N ) R - phrases ( outdated ) R28, R34, R48 / 24 / 25, R50 / 53 S - phrases ( outdated ) ( S1 / 2 ), S36 / 37 / 39, S45, S60, S61 NFPA 704 0 0 Flash point Non-flammable Related compounds Other anions Mercury ( II ) fluoride Mercury ( II ) bromide Mercury ( II ) iodide Other cations Zinc chloride Cadmium chloride Mercury ( I ) chloride Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state ( at 25 ° C ( 77 ° F ), 100 kPa ). N verify ( what is ? ) Infobox references Mercury ( II ) chloride or mercuric chloride ( archaically, corrosive sublimate ) is the chemical compound of mercury and chlorine with the formula HgCl. This white crystalline solid is a laboratory reagent and a molecular compound. Once used as a treatment for syphilis, it is no longer used for medicinal purposes because of mercury toxicity and the availability of superior treatments. Contents 1 Production and basic properties 2 Applications 2.1 As a chemical reagent 2.2 Historical use in photography 2.3 Historical use in preservation 2.4 Historic use in medicine 2.5 Historic use in crime 3 Toxicity 4 References 5 External links Production and basic properties Mercuric chloride exists not as a salt composed of discrete ions, but rather is composed of linear triatomic molecules, hence its tendency to sublime. In the crystal, each mercury atom is bonded to two close chloride ligands with Hg -- Cl distance of 2.38 Å ; six more chlorides are more distant at 3.38 Å. Mercuric chloride is obtained by the action of chlorine on mercury or mercury ( I ) chloride, by the addition of hydrochloric acid to a hot, concentrated solution of mercury ( I ) compounds such as the nitrate : HgNO + 2 HCl → HgCl + H O + NO, Heating a mixture of solid mercury ( II ) sulfate and sodium chloride also affords volatile HgCl, which sublimes and condenses in the form of small rhombic crystals. Its solubility increases from 6 % at 20 ° C ( 68 ° F ) to 36 % in 100 ° C ( 212 ° F ). In the presence of chloride ions, it dissolves to give the tetrahedral coordination complex ( HgCl ). Applications The main application of mercuric chloride is as a catalyst for the conversion of acetylene to vinyl chloride, the precursor to polyvinylchloride : C H + HCl → CH = CHCl For this application, the mercuric chloride is supported on carbon in concentrations of about 5 weight percent. This technology has been eclipsed by the thermal cracking of 1, 2 - dichloroethane. Other significant applications of mercuric chloride include its use as a depolarizer in batteries and as a reagent in organic synthesis and analytical chemistry ( see below ). It is being used in plant tissue culture for surface sterilisation of explants such as leaf or stem nodes. As a chemical reagent Mercuric chloride is occasionally used to form an amalgam with metals, such as aluminium. Upon treatment with an aqueous solution of mercuric chloride, aluminium strips quickly become covered by a thin layer of the amalgam. Normally, aluminium is protected by a thin layer of oxide, thus making it inert. Once amalgamated, aluminium can undergo a variety of reactions. For example, it will dissolve in water ( this can be dangerous, as hydrogen gas and heat are generated ). Halocarbons react with amalgamated aluminium in the Barbier reaction. These alkylaluminium compounds are nucleophilic and can be used in a similar fashion to the Grignard reagent. Amalgamated aluminium is also used as a reducing agent in organic synthesis. Zinc is also commonly amalgamated using mercuric chloride. Mercuric chloride is used to remove dithiane groups attached to a carbonyl in an umpolung reaction. This reaction exploits the high affinity of Hg for anionic sulfur ligands. Mercuric chloride may be used as a stabilising agent for chemicals and analytical samples. Care must be taken to ensure that detected mercuric chloride does not eclipse the signals of other components in the sample, such as is possible in gas chromatography. Historical use in photography Mercury ( II ) chloride was used as a photographic intensifier to produce positive pictures in the collodion process of the 1800s. When applied to a negative, the mercury ( II ) chloride whitens and thickens the image, thereby increasing the opacity of the shadows and creating the illusion of a positive image. Historical use in preservation For the preservation of anthropological and biological specimens during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, objects were dipped in or were painted with a `` mercuric solution ''. This was done to prevent the specimens ' destruction by moths, mites and mold. Objects in drawers were protected by scattering crystalline mercuric chloride over them. It finds minor use in tanning, and wood was preserved by kyanizing ( soaking in mercuric chloride ). Mercuric chloride was one of the three chemicals used for railroad tie wood treatment between 1830 and 1856 in Europe and the United States. Limited railroad ties were treated in the United States until there were concerns over lumber shortages in the 1890s. The process was generally abandoned because mercuric chloride was water - soluble and not effective for the long term, as well as poisonous. Furthermore, alternative treatment processes, such as copper sulfate, zinc chloride, and ultimately creosote ; were found to be less toxic. Limited kyanizing was used for some railroad ties in the 1890s and early 1900s. Historic use in medicine Mercuric chloride was used to disinfect wounds by Arab physicians in the Middle Ages. It continued to be used by Arab doctors into the twentieth century, until modern medicine deemed it unsafe for use. Syphilis was frequently treated with mercuric chloride before the advent of antibiotics. It was inhaled, ingested, injected, and applied topically. Both mercuric - chloride treatment for syphilis and poisoning during the course of treatment was so common that the latter 's symptoms were often confused with those of syphilis. This use of `` salts of white mercury '' is referred to in the English - language folk song `` The Unfortunate Rake ''. Yaws was treated with mercuric chloride ( labeled as Corrosive Sublimate ) before the advent of antibiotics. It was applied topically to alleviate ulcerative symptoms. Evidence of this is found in Jack London 's book `` The Cruise of the Snark '' in the chapter entitled The Amateur M.D. Historic use in crime In volume V of Alexandre Dumas ' Celebrated Crimes, he recounts the history of Antoine François Desrues, who killed a noblewoman, Madame de Lamotte, with `` corrosive sublimate ''. Toxicity Main article : Mercury poisoning Mercuric chloride is highly toxic, both acutely and as a cumulative poison. References ^ Jump up to : Zumdahl, Steven S. ( 2009 ). Chemical Principles 6th Ed. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. A22. ISBN 0 - 618 - 94690 - X. ^ Jump up to : Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Corrosive Sublimate ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. 7 ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. p. 197. Jump up ^ Wells, A.F. ( 1984 ) Structural Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford : Clarendon Press. ISBN 0 - 19 - 855370 - 6. Jump up ^ Matthias Simon, Peter Jönk, Gabriele Wühl - Couturier, Stefan Halbach `` Mercury, Mercury Alloys, and Mercury Compounds '' in Ullmann 's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2006 : Wiley - VCH, Weinheim. doi : 10.1002 / 14356007. a16_269. pub2 Jump up ^ Foreman, W.T. ; Zaugg, S.D. ; Faires, L.M. ; Werner, M.G. ; Leiker, T.J. ; Rogerson, P.F. ( 1992 ). `` Analytical interferences of mercuric chloride preservative in environmental water samples : Determination of organic compounds isolated by continuous liquid - liquid extraction or closed - loop stripping ''. Environmental Science & Technology. 26 ( 7 ) : 1307. doi : 10.1021 / es00031a004. Jump up ^ Towler, J. ( 1864 ). Stereographic negatives and landscape photography. Chapter 28. In : The silver sunbeam : a practical and theoretical textbook of sun drawing and photographic printing. Retrieved on April 13, 2005. Jump up ^ Goldberg, L. ( 1996 ). A history of pest control measures in the anthropology collections, national museum of natural history, Smithsonian Institution. JAIC 35 ( 1 ) 23 -- 43. Retrieved on April 17, 2005. Jump up ^ Freeman, M.H. Shupe, T.F. Vlosky, R.P. Barnes, H.M. ( 2003 ). Past, present and future of the wood preservation industry. Forest Products Journal. 53 ( 10 ) 8 -- 15. Retrieved on April 17, 2005. Jump up ^ Pg. 19 - 75 `` Date Nails and Railroad Tie Preservation '' ( 3 vol. ; 560 p. ), published in 1999 by the Archeology and Forensics Laboratory, University of Indianapolis ; Jeffrey A. Oaks Jump up ^ < History of Railroad Tie Preservation by Jeffrey A. Oaks, Univ. of Indiana, Pg. 20 - 30 and Pg. 64, Table I http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~%20oaks/Articles/History.pdf > Jump up ^ Maillard, Adam P. Fraise, Peter A. Lambert, Jean - Yves ( 2007 ). Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization. Oxford : John Wiley & Sons. p. 4. ISBN 0470755067. Jump up ^ Pimple, K.D. Pedroni, J.A. Berdon, V. ( 2002, July 09 ). Syphilis in history. Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University - Bloomington. Retrieved on April 20, 2008. Jump up ^ Dumas, Alexandre ( 1895 ). Celebrated Crimes Volume V : The Cenci. Murat. Derues. G. Barrie & sons. p. 250. Retrieved 30 June 2015 -- via Google Books. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mercury ( II ) chloride. Agency for toxic substances and disease registry. ( 2001, May 25 ). Toxicological profile for Mercury. Retrieved on April 17, 2005. National institutes of health. ( 2002, October 31 ). Hazardous substances data bank : Mercuric chloride. Retrieved on April 17, 2005. Young, R. ( 2004, October 6 ). Toxicity summary for mercury. The risk assessment information system. Retrieved on April 17, 2005. ATSDR - ToxFAQs : Mercury ATSDR - Public Health Statement : Mercury ATSDR - Medical Management Guidelines ( MMGs ) for Mercury ( Hg ) ATSDR - Toxicological Profile : Mercury International Chemical Safety Card 0979 National Pollutant Inventory - Mercury and compounds Fact Sheet NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards Mercury chloride toxicity - includes excerpts from research reports. Antiseptics and disinfectants ( D08 ) Acridine derivatives Ethacridine lactate 9 - Aminoacridine Euflavine Biguanides and amidines Dibrompropamidine Chlorhexidine Propamidine Hexamidine Polihexanide Phenol and derivatives Hexachlorophene Policresulen Phenol Triclosan Triclocarban Chloroxylenol Biphenylol Fenticlor Nitrofuran derivatives Nitrofurazone Iodine products Iodine / octylphenoxypolyglycolether Povidone - iodine Diiodohydroxypropane Quinoline derivatives Dequalinium Chlorquinaldol Oxyquinoline Clioquinol Quaternary ammonium compounds Benzalkonium Benzethonium chloride Cetrimonium ( bromide / chloride ) Cetylpyridinium Cetrimide Benzoxonium chloride Didecyldimethylammonium chloride Mercurial products Mercuric amidochloride Phenylmercuric borate Mercuric chloride Merbromin Thiomersal Mercuric iodide Silver compounds Silver nitrate Alcohols Propanol ( propyl alcohol ) Isopropanol ( isopropyl alcohol ) Ethanol ( ethyl alcohol ) Other Potassium permanganate Sodium hypochlorite Hydrogen peroxide Eosin Tosylchloramide Octenidine dihydrochloride WHO - EM Withdrawn from market Clinical trials : Phase III Never to phase III Mercury compounds Mercury ( I ) HgH Hg H Hg Br Hg Cl Hg F Hg I Hg ( NO ) Hg O Hg CO Hg SO Mercury ( II ) HgH HgNH Cl HgSe HgS HgTe Hg ( O CCH ) HgBr HgCl Hg ( CN ) HgF Hg ( OH ) HgI Hg ( NO ) HgO HgSO Hg ( SCN ) Hg ( CNO ) Hg N Hg ( Si ( CH ) ) K HgI Organomercury compounds Hg ( CH ) Hg ( C H ) Hg ( C H ) HgC H CH CO HgC H OB ( OH ) HgClC H CO H HgOHCH CHOCH CH ( NHCO ) C H CO H HgOHCH CHOCH CH NHCOC H OCH CO H Na HgOHC HOBrC H OBrOCHC H CO HgOC H CH NO NaHgC H SC H CO Mercury ( IV ) HgF ( hypothetical ) Amalgams Na ( Hg ) Al ( Hg ) K ( Hg ) Au ( Hg ) Tl ( Hg ) Sn ( Hg ) Mercury cations Hg Hg Hg Hg Hg HgCH HgC H HgC H Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mercury(II)_chloride&oldid=802982285 '' Categories : Mercury compounds Chlorides Metal halides Alchemical substances Photographic chemicals Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Articles without InChI source Articles without EBI source Articles without UNII source Articles with changed ChemSpider identifier ECHA InfoCard ID from Wikidata Articles with changed KEGG identifier Articles with changed InChI identifier Chembox having DSD data Articles containing unverified chemical infoboxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Հայերեն Italiano עברית Қазақша Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 29 September 2017, at 18 : 36. 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Question: role of mercuric chloride in plant tissue culture
Answer: surface sterilisation of explants