Calomel
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Description
A brownish-white ore containing Mercurous chloride. The name 'Calomel' is also used to refer to pure mercurous chloride. It has been used as a Fungicide, Insecticide, and topical anesthetic. One Peruvian cabinet decorated with mopa-mopa, was found to contain calomel as a white pigment (Newman 2015).
Synonyms and Related Terms
mercury chloride; mercurous chloride; mercury subchloride; mercury monochloride; mercury protochloride; precipité blanc; Calogreen; Cyclosan, M-C Turf fungicide; calomel (Fr.); calomelano (Esp., Port.); Calomel (Deut.)
Risks
- Toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption.
- echemi: SDS
Physical and Chemical Properties
- Tabular crystals or mass.
- Cleavage = good in one direction.
- Luster = adamantine
| Composition | Hg2Cl2 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 10112-91-1 |
| Mohs Hardness | 1.5 |
| Density | 7.15 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 472.09 |
| Refractive Index | 1.9-2.0; 2.6-2.7 |
Resources and Citations
- R. Newman, E. Kaplan, M. Derrick, “Mopa mopa: Scientific analysis and history of an unusual South American resin used by the Inka and artisans in Pasto, Colombia,” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 54 (2015): 123-148.
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 5957
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 200
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993