Mercury is one of those metal elements that you really shouldn't be tinkering with. Being extremely toxic, prolonged exposure to mercury can result in damage to the central nervous system, vision, hearing and speech impairment, a lack of coordination and, possibly, death.
But for those who have seen pure 'quicksilver', the milky-silver substance can be alluring. Perhaps that is why alchemists and medical practitioners - I hesitate to call them doctors - throughout the ages have experimented with the mysterious metal.
As legend has it, Qin Shihuang, the first emperor to unite China (221 BC), died after drinking an elixir containing mercury that he hoped would provide him everlasting life.
Just a few kilometers from the army of terracotta warriors that he ordered built to protect him in the afterlife (he must have had some doubt about the elixir), his tomb is believed to be decorated with rivers of shuiyin, or quicksilver. Tests of the soil taken showed mercury levels hundreds of time above normal and some have speculated that the tomb may contain up to 100 tonnes of mercury!
To learn more about mercury's history, production and applications, read the metal profile here.
Image: A pound coin rests on mercury. Author: Alby.
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