Why is alcohol used in thermometers and not water?
Alcohol thermometers are used rather than mercury thermometers in very cold regions because alcohol has a lower freezing point than mercury. Pure ethanol freezes at -115 degrees C while mercury freezes at -38 degrees C. Thermometers rely upon thermal expansion of the liquid in a bulb at the base of a thin glass tube.
Why is alcohol in thermometers better than mercury?
Mercury has a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than alcohol. This means a column of mercury will expand and rise more than a column of alcohol for the same temperature change. As a result, you can get finer readings with mercury.
What alcohol is used in thermometers?
The two common liquids used in liquid in glass thermometers are alcohol (ethanol) and mercury.
Why is water not used in thermometer?
Water cannot be used in thermometer because of its higher freezing point and lower boiling point than other liquids . If water is used in a thermometer , it will start phase change at 0oC and 100oC and will not measure temperature , out of this range .
Why does alcohol expand more than mercury?
Alcohol expands more than mercury because of its low density and volatile nature. Mercury thermometers have the advantage of being small and compact due to its low expansion. Mercury thermometers can be used to measure higher temperature than alcohol thermometers because of its high boiling point.
What happens if you touch mercury?
MERCURY EXPOSURE If it is swallowed, like from a broken thermometer, it mostly passes through your body and very little is absorbed. If you touch it, a small amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough to harm you.
Why is mercury used instead of water?
The correct answer is Mercury has high density and low vapour pressure. Mercury is used in barometers and not water. This is because the high density of mercury gives a reasonable height of the column to measure atmospheric pressure.
Why is mercury filled in thermometers?
In a mercury thermometer, a glass tube is filled with mercury and a standard temperature scale is marked on the tube. With changes in temperature, the mercury expands and contracts, and the temperature can be read from the scale. Mercury thermometers can be used to determine body, liquid, and vapor temperature.
What alcohol is in a thermometer?
Alcohol thermometer is a type of thermometer that uses a bulb filled with alcohol as the temperature sensor. The liquid inside the bulb can be pure ethanol, toluene, kerosene or any other suitable component depending on the application. Alcohol thermometers are used to measure temperatures from -115°C to78.
What is the red liquid in a thermometer?
alcohol Mercury is a silver-white to gray substance. If your thermometer is filled with a red liquid, your thermometer contains red dyed alcohol or mineral spirits and not mercury.
What happens when mercury falls on gold?
Freddie Mercury may have had the golden voice, but real mercury, that endlessly entertaining and dangerous liquid metal, has the golden touch. That is, if it touches gold it will immediately break the lattice bonds of the precious metal and form an alloy in a process known as amalgamation.
Is mercury safe to drink?
Mercury is a very toxic or poisonous substance that people can be exposed to in several ways. If it is swallowed, like from a broken thermometer, it mostly passes through your body and very little is absorbed. If you touch it, a small amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough to harm you.
Why mercury does not wet the glass?
Mercury does not wet glass – the cohesive forces within the drops are stronger than the adhesive forces between the drops and glass. When liquid mercury is confined in a tube, its surface (meniscus) has a convex shape because the cohesive forces in liquid mercury tend to draw it into a drop.
Why water is not used in thermometer instead of mercury?
Water cannot be used in thermometer because of its higher freezing point and lower boiling point than other liquids . If water is used in a thermometer , it will start phase change at 0oC and 100oC and will not measure temperature , out of this range .
What is the use of the red liquid inside the thermometer?
Mercury is a silver-white to gray substance. If your thermometer is filled with a red liquid, your thermometer contains red dyed alcohol or mineral spirits and not mercury. These are safer alternatives to mercury fever thermometers.
What is the red liquid in thermometers?
alcohol If your thermometer is filled with a red liquid, your thermometer contains red dyed alcohol or mineral spirits and not mercury. These are safer alternatives to mercury fever thermometers.
What is the blue liquid in a thermometer?
The blue spirit thermometers listed contain non-toxic isoamyl benzoate and dye.
Can you touch mercury?
If you touch it, a small amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough to harm you. Mercury is most harmful when you breathe in the vapors that are released when a container is open or a spill occurs. Pregnant women, infants and young children are particularly sensitive to the harmful effects of mercury.
Why does mercury eat gold?
Freddie Mercury may have had the golden voice, but real mercury, that endlessly entertaining and dangerous liquid metal, has the golden touch. That is, if it touches gold it will immediately break the lattice bonds of the precious metal and form an alloy in a process known as amalgamation.
Does mercury eat gold?
Gold dissolves in mercury similar to the way salt dissolves in water. Miners submerged their ore in mercury, which would take on the gold but not the other impurities. The mixture of mercury and gold would then be recollected and heated until the mercury boiled away.
Why is mercury in fish?
Methylmercury in fish mainly comes from mercury in ocean sediment that is transformed into methylmercury by microorganisms. This organic form of mercury is absorbed by the tissues of fish through their gills as they swim and through their digestive tracts as they feed.
Is water wet?
If we define "wet" as a sensation that we get when a liquid comes in contact with us, then yes, water is wet to us. If we define "wet" as "made of liquid or moisture", then water is definitely wet because it is made of liquid, and in this sense, all liquids are wet because they are all made of liquids.
Why is mercury not sticky?
It means that the adhesive force between water and our fingers is higher than the cohesive force between water molecules. But the angle of contact of mercury with respect to our body is obtuse and hence it does not stick to our fingers. In this case, the cohesive force between mercury molecules is higher.
What is jerk in thermometer?
The jerks given to the thermometer before using it in order to get an accurate reading, the jerks allow the mercury level to flow into the bulb, below from the normal temperature.
Which liquid is not used in a thermometer?
Water Water cannot be used in thermometer because of its higher freezing point and lower boiling point than other liquids . If water is used in a thermometer , it will start phase change at 0oC and 100oC and will not measure temperature , out of this range .
What is red liquid in thermometer?
If your thermometer is filled with a red liquid, your thermometer contains red dyed alcohol or mineral spirits and not mercury. These are safer alternatives to mercury fever thermometers.
What happens if mercury falls on gold?
Freddie Mercury may have had the golden voice, but real mercury, that endlessly entertaining and dangerous liquid metal, has the golden touch. That is, if it touches gold it will immediately break the lattice bonds of the precious metal and form an alloy in a process known as amalgamation.
Does mercury stay in your body forever?
What is the prognosis? Mercury does not stay in the body forever. It takes about six months to a year to leave the bloodstream once exposure stops. Some researchers think mercury can permanently damage the nervous system in children.
What happens if mercury falls on skin?
If it is swallowed, like from a broken thermometer, it mostly passes through your body and very little is absorbed. If you touch it, a small amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough to harm you.
How much is mercury worth?
Mercury Price
| Year | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $2,000.00 | 28% |
| 2017 | $1,450.00 | -184% |
| 2016 | $4,120.00 | 9% |
| 2015 | $3,740.00 | 5% |