Question

Name an alloy which has mercury as one of its constituents.

Answer 1

Hint:Alloy can be defined as the combination of metals combined with one or more other elements. For example, the combination of the metallic elements gold and copper produces red gold. Mercury is the metal that exists in the liquid state at room temperature.

Complete step by step answer:
Zinc amalgam $\left( {Zn - Hg} \right)$ is an alloy of zinc which has liquid mercury as one of its constituents.
The reaction involved in the preparation of zinc amalgam $\left( {Zn - Hg} \right)$.
$Zn + HgC{l_2}\xrightarrow{{HCl}}ZnC{l_2} + Hg$
$Zn + Hg \to Zn\left( {Hg} \right)$
                                       (Zinc amalgam)

It is used in organic synthesis. For example - Clemmensen reduction.
It is used as a reducing agent in the Jones reduction for analytical chemistry.
So, we can say that zinc amalgam is the answer.


Note:
An amalgam is considered to be an alloy of mercury with another metal.
On the basis of proportion of mercury, it might be present as a liquid, a solid or a soft paste.
They are formed by metallic bonding.
There are different types of amalgam – zinc amalgam, potassium amalgam, sodium amalgam, aluminium amalgam, tin amalgam, ammonium amalgam, Thallium amalgam, Gold amalgam, lead amalgam.
In the mining of gold and silver, mercury is used due to the convenience and the ease with which mercury and the metals will form an amalgam. Like in the gold placer mining, minute spots of gold are washed away from sand or gravel deposits. Mercury is used for the separation of gold from other heavy minerals.
Mercury salts are highly toxic in nature due to their properties regarding solubility in water. The presence of these salts in water can be detected with a probe that uses the readiness of mercury ions to form an amalgam with copper.