HgCl2 availability

[tao]

Has hgcl2 (Mercuric Chloride correct?) been added to any particular list recently? While checking the availability from a few online photography and chemical suppliers this chemical seems to have dissappeard.

Only mercurous chloride could be found, and only from one supplier.

I know that chemical has limited use in photography. So if a supplier was found how suspicious would it be to order it?

[Tdurden969]

But you'd have to look for yourself. It's a pretty potent poison so they could have used that as an excuse to watch it as well.

Just make HgI2.

[OcoteaCymbarum]

Maybe in the states its like that,
I know I can still get Mercuric chloride from my photochem supplier, no questions asked. The trick is to buy a lot once, it can last very long if you get say 100 grams.

[Vitus_Verdegast]

Mercurous chloride (calomel) is much less toxic then mercuric chloride, as it is not soluble in water. I am quite certain that even in the US it is not watched.

Hg₂Cl₂ works equally fine in amalgamation reactions, you'll just have to wait 10-15 min longer until the rxn starts.
UTFSE for old posts by Osmium on the subject.

[Tdurden969]

Vitus - thanks for that tidbit - I did not know that....
Os' post:

Post 233238

(Osmium: "Re: Debunking the Hg2Cl2 myth", Chemistry Discourse)

[AngelX]

[homeslice]

Post 464012

(abuse: "Mecuric Iodide for Methyl Mans Al/Hg", Chemicals & Equipment)

HgI2 seems to be what bees recommend anymore (right?) because of the toxicity of HgCl2.

[SPISSHAK]

In another Forum A little bird briefly mentioned that HgCl2 was made by refluxing and stirring with 27% H202 and HCl in excess until the metal dissolved and then evapoarating the solution to get the salt, the little bird also said recystallization of the resultant from water gave a purer salt.
This would be a better alternative to buying HgCl2 IMHO.
And a lot nicer than working with Aqua regia.

[stratosphere]

im sure you can get Hg ,as long as your using it for gold or silver assaying.
a very close friend of mine made HgS by heating the metal with some sulpher powder,(it reacts at room temp, but melting the sulpher helps get stuff mixed better), the reaction is not very exothermic.
then dissolve the HgS with aqua regia.

why would HgI2 be less toxic then HgCl2?

[Vitus_Verdegast]

why would HgI2 be less toxic then HgCl2?

Because it is less soluble than HgCl₂.

[Tdurden969]

The toxicity of mercury salts varies with their solubility. Usually mercury (I) compounds are of low solubility and significantly less toxic than mercury (II) compounds.

 Inorganic mercury salts present a far greater hazard than elemental mercury if ingested orally, owing to their greater water solubility. For mercury (II) chloride, the lethal dose may be as small as 0.5 g, compared with 100 g mercury metal.

 Mercury salts are usually non-volatile solids, so poisoning by inhalation is rare, though toxicity may arise if aerosols are deposited in thelungs. Once adsorbed, the mercury (I) form will readily react with the thiol groups of amino acids such as cysteine. The protein metallothionein, functions as a natural chelator, preventing damage by mercury and other transitional metals to thiol-containing proteins. Once metallothionein proteins are saturated, other structurally related proteins can be damaged. Inorganic mercury salts are not lipid soluble, and so do not cross the blood brain barrier in significant amounts. The majority of the dose of an ingested inorganic mercury salt accumulates either in the liver, where it is excreted in the bile or in the kidney, where it is excreted in the urine

http://www.hyp.ac.uk/bhs/toxicity%20of%20mercury.pdf

[poseidon]

like they already said... meruric and mercurous chlorides can both be used equally as well in Al/Hg reductive amination.

mercurous provides for a little less chloride ion (which is a goodthing    )   and takes a little more time to produce the amalgum.

[SPISSHAK]

convert mecury to it's benign sulfide a great thing to have for Hg spills I think it's called Hg absorb.
Mercury magnet made by ajax also works wonders.

[alkadelic]

anyone done al/hg amination with mercurous chloride? could the same amounts be used and is it less watched than mercuric chloride?

[Osmium]

> anyone done al/hg amination with mercurous chloride?

Yes.

> could the same amounts be used

Yes, it just takes a little longer to amalgamate the Al since its solubility is lower. UTFSE.

[alkadelic]

thanks osmium, after using tfse i came up on diffrent opinions on mercuric chloride being listed in the us. but i didnt find anything about it being listed in canada using tfse. didnt find any after searching..oh well, guess ill keep looking! anything easily available that can be usefull?