Mercury

Properties of mercury atoms

Ionisation Energies and electron affinity

The electron affinity of mercury is 0  kJ mol^-1. The ionisation energies of mercury are given below.

Electronic configuration

The following represents the electronic configuration and its associated term symbol for the ground state neutral gaseous atom. The configuration associated with mercury in its compounds is not necessarily the same.

• Ground state electron configuration:  [Xe].4f¹⁴.5d¹⁰.6s²
• Shell structure:  2.8.18.32.18.2
• Term symbol:   ¹S₀

The atom in the engine room of a fluorescent tube. The search is on for a more environmentally friendly alternative.

A schematic representation of the shell structure of mercury - not what the atom of mercury "looks like".

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