Question

In amalgam of mercury with sodium, solvent is?
(A) Mercury
(B) Sodium
(C) Amalgam
(D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Generally amalgam is a mixture of two or more metals with mercury. This term is used for intermetallic compounds, alloys, and solutions (both solid solutions and liquid solutions) which have mercury as a major component. Amalgam of mercury with sodium can be called in short as sodium amalgam.

Complete step by step answer:
Let us first understand what binary solutions are.
The solutions that are formed using two components are called binary solutions. There are three types of binary solutions based on the state of the solution.
They are classified as
Gaseous solution
Liquid solutions
Solid solutions

These solutions further vary based on the state of the solute and solvent.
Can you guess under which type, amalgam of mercury with sodium falls?
Amalgam of mercury with sodium is an example of a solid solution which is formed using a liquid solute and solid solvent. Now you can easily guess what the solvent is. As I have mentioned that solute is a liquid, and we know that mercury is a liquid so here the solute is mercury and the solvent is sodium.
The chemical formula of sodium amalgam is \[HgNa\].
So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Note: Do not confuse mixtures and compounds. Amalgam is not a compound. It is a mixture. So there will not be any chemical combination of mercury and metal.