Hg
Mercury Symbol (Hg)
Mercury is element 80 of the periodic table. Copy its symbol Hg and see its atomic weight, electron configuration and common compounds.
What does Hg mean?
Hg is the chemical symbol for mercury, element number 80 in the periodic table. Mercury is a transition metal in group 12, period 6. It is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature; its symbol Hg comes from the Latin hydrargyrum ("liquid silver").
Codes and properties
| Chemical symbol | Hg |
|---|---|
| Atomic number (Z) | 80 |
| Atomic weight (PubChem) | 200.59 |
| Group / period | 12 / 6 |
| Element category | transition metal |
| Electron configuration | [Xe]6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ |
| State at 20 °C | Liquid |
| Oxidation states | +2, +1 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 2 |
| Melting point | 234.32 K (-38.83 °C) |
| Boiling point | 629.88 K (356.73 °C) |
| Density | 13.5336 g/cm³ |
| Discovered | Known since ancient times |
| Common compounds | HgCl₂, HgO, HgS |
How to type Hg
- Plain text: type
Hg— element symbols are ordinary Latin letters, with the first letter capitalised and the second lowercase. - Subscripts in formulas: use Unicode subscript digits (₀₁₂₃₄₅₆₇₈₉) for formulas such as HgCl₂ — copy them from the chemistry keyboard.
- LaTeX: write
\mathrm{Hg}in math mode, or use the mhchem package:\ce{Hg}. - HTML:
Hg; for subscripts use<sub>, e.g.H<sub>2</sub>O.
Frequently asked questions
What is the chemical symbol for mercury?
The chemical symbol for mercury is Hg.
What is the atomic number of mercury?
Mercury has atomic number 80, meaning each atom has 80 protons.
What is the electron configuration of mercury?
The ground-state electron configuration of mercury is [Xe]6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰.
Related symbols
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Reference: Mercury on PubChem (NIH)