Question

Mercury can conduct electricity similar to acids. Then why is mercury not an electrolyte similar to acids?

Answer 1

Hint: When dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water, an electrolyte creates an electrically conducting solution. The electrolyte in solution separates into cations and anions, which scatter evenly throughout the solvent. Such a solution is electrically neutral. When an electric potential is given to such a solution, the cations are attracted to the electrode with the most electrons, while the anions are drawn to the electrode with the least electrons. A current is the movement of anions and cations in opposing directions inside a solution.

Complete answer:
Mercury is an atomic number 80 chemical element with the symbol Hg. Mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid at normal temperatures and pressures. It is a hefty, silvery d-block element. Cinnabar is the most common form of mercury found in deposits across the world. Natural cinnabar or manufactured mercuric sulphide are ground to make the crimson pigment vermilion.
Because the charged particles that make up the acid and the conjugate ion are free to travel in the liquid state, acids and salts in solution are conductive. Metals, on the other hand, are very thermally and electrically conductive, both solid and liquid, and this is thought to be due to metallic bonding, which proposes electron delocalization across a lattice of positively charged metallic ions. Mercury is now one of the few elemental liquids that can exist at ambient temperature, but it is still a metal that participates in metallic bonding. Mercury was once employed as a make-or-break electrical switch before the advent of solid-state electronics.
Mercury is an electrolyte since it is a pure liquid metal that conducts electricity. However, an electrolyte is defined as a compound that ionises when dissolved in appropriate ionising solvents such as water, but Mercury is a metal element, not a compound.
When dissolved in appropriate ionising solvents such as water, soluble salts, acids and bases, and certain gases, such as hydrogen chloride, are electrolytes under circumstances of high temperature or low pressure.

Note:
Mercury vapours may be breathed and absorbed via the skin and mucous membranes, thus mercury canisters must be well sealed to prevent spills and evaporation. Mercury, or mercury compounds that may disintegrate when heated, should be heated with appropriate ventilation to avoid mercury vapour exposure. Mercury's organic derivatives, such as dimethylmercury and methylmercury, are the most dangerous. Mercury poisoning may be both chronic and acute.