https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/alhg.osmium.html (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/alhg.osmium.html)
You meant "the other FSE"
No, the document on my page is an old Hive Post, it's just that the formatting is better in the document at my page.
Mercury reduces aluminum
Aluminum reduces MP2P/P2P/whatever
this right?
No. Rather that the Aluminum reduces the Hg2+ to Hg, which dissolves in the outer aluminum layers, forming a mercury alloy (amalgam), which is superior as electron transfer medium.
So Hg02 or something is formed, I guess.
No, elemental mercury is formed. HgO2 does not exist.
Would it be possible to make an electrochemical cell to electrically reduce the aluminum, avoiding the need for mercury?
Yes, but when when doing this, you can even take the aluminum out of the equation, making a current-powered electrolytic reductive amination cell: An Electrochemical Reductive Amination Method (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/electroreductive.amination.html)
(https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/electroreductive.amination.html)
With Hg, but without Al: Electrochemical Reductive Amination of P2P's over a Mercury Cathode (PDF) (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/pdf/redamin.hg-cathode.pdf)
(https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/pdf/redamin.hg-cathode.pdf)
Can another metal be substituted for mercury, stealing oxygen from the aluminum, like the anticorrosion sacrificial anode described in the link you gave me?
No.
In a sodium cell, does the mercury serve the same function, or is it needed? If the mercury can be reused, or is unnecesary, I can imagine this to be verrry useful.
Yes, it is needed, that's why it is used (duh). The mercury from any amalgam reduction can be re-used (after purification).