Mercury (element)

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some liquid Mercury in a glass beaker
Some liquid Mercury in a glass beaker

Mercury is a chemical element. Its symbol on the periodic table is Hg, and its atomic number is 80. It is a slightly poisonous silver-colored metallic liquid sometimes used in the manufacture of measuring instruments.

Before better compounds were discovered, some mercury compounds were used in medicine to kill germs on the skin.

Mercury was known to the ancients and its discoverer is unknown.