Mercuric iodide

Many mercury compounds are labile and easily decomposed by light, heat, and reducing agents. In the presence of organic compounds of weak reducing activity, such as amines (qv), aldehydes (qv), and ketones (qv), compounds of lower oxidation state and mercury metal are often formed. Only a few mercury compounds, eg, mercuric bromide/77< 5 7-/7, mercurous chloride, mercuric s A ide[1344-48-5] and mercurous iodide [15385-57-6] are volatile and capable of purification by sublimation. This innate lack of stabiUty in mercury compounds makes the recovery of mercury from various wastes that accumulate with the production of compounds of economic and commercial importance relatively easy (see Recycling). 

Mercuric chloride is widely used for the preparation of red and yellow mercuric oxide, ammoniated mercury/7(9/USP, mercuric iodide, and as an intermediate in organic synthesis. It has been used as a component of agricultural fungicides. It is used in conjunction with sodium chloride in photography (qv) and in batteries (qv), and has some medicinal uses as an antiseptic. 

Mercurous Iodide. Mercurous iodide [7783-30 ] Hg2l2, is a bright yellow amorphous powder, extremely insoluble in water and very sensitive to light. It has no commercial importance but may be prepared by precipitation, using mercurous nirate and potassium iodide. Care must be taken to exclude mercuric nitrate, which may cause the formulation of the water-insoluble mercuric iodide. 

The range of uses of mercuric iodide has increased because of its abiUty to detect nuclear particles. Various metals such as Pd, Cu, Al, Tri, Sn, Ag, and Ta affect the photoluminescence of Hgl2, which is of importance in the preparation of high quaUty photodetectors (qv). Hgl2 has also been mentioned as a catalyst in group transfer polymerization of methacrylates or acrylates (8). 

Mercuric iodide crystals grown by physical vapor transport on Spacelab 3 exhibited sharp, weU-formed facets indicating good internal order (19). This was confirmed by y-ray rocking curves which were approximately one-third the width of the ground control sample. Both electron and hole mobiUty were significantly enhanced in the flight crystal. The experiment was repeated on IML-1 with similar results (20). 

The most common colorimetric technique involves a reaction between ammonia and a reagent containing mercuric iodide in potassium iodide (Messier reagent) to form a reddish-brown complex. Turbidity, color, and hardness are possible interferences that can be removed by preliminary distiHation at pH 9.5. 

Mercuric iodide (red) [7774-29-0] M 454.4, m 259 (yellow >130°), b 350°(subl), d 6.3. Crystd from MeOH or EtOH, and washed repeatedly with distilled water. Has also been mixed thoroughly with excess 0.00IM iodine solution, filtered, washed with cold distilled water, rinsed with EtOH and Et20, and dried in air. POISONOUS. 

Chemical Designations - Synonyms Mercuric iodide, red Mercury biniodide Chemical Formula ... 

A solution of potassium mercuric iodide, which foims white or yellow ish-wdiite precipitates. 

Mercury Nitride. Hg3N2, mw 629,78, N 4.45%, brown powd, mp (explds). Sol in amm hydroxide, dil acids, coned nitric acid and amm salts. Prepd by adding a soln of mercuric iodide or bromide to an excess of a soln of K amide in liq ammonia (Refs 1-3)... 

Iodine acetate would seem to be unambiguously present in the iodination of pentamethylbenzene in acetic acid by iodine and mercuric acetate, since the latter components form an equilibrium mixture of iodine acetate and acetoxy-mercuric iodide and mercuric acetate speeds up the iodination332. Second-order rate coefficients of 0.078 (25 °C) and 0.299 (45 °C) were obtained, and these values are intermediate between those obtained for the reaction of bromine acetate with benzene (2.5 xlO-3) and toluene (1.2) at 25 °C, indicating that bromine acetate is the stronger electrophile. 

The reactions of mercuric iodide, mercuric bromide, and mercuric chloride with the excited species produced in the hexafluoroethane plasma were examined first, as the expected products were known to be stable and had been well characterized 13). Thus, these reactions constituted a "calibration of the system. Bis(trifluoromethyl)mercury was obtained from the reaction of all of the mercuric halides, but the highest yield (95%, based on the amount of metal halide consumed) was obtained with mercuric iodide. The mole ratios of bis(trifluoro-methyDmercury to (trifluoromethyl)mercuric halides formed by the respective halides is presented in Table I, along with the weight in grams of the trifluoromethyl mercurials recovered from a typical, five-hour run. 

In our laboratory, we find that the plasma reaction of trifiuoro-methyl radicals with mercuric iodide is an excellent source of bis(tri-fluoromethyDmercury. For those laboratories that lack access to radiofrequency (rf) equipment (a 100-W, rf source can at present be purchased for less than 1,000), synthesis of bis(trifluoromethyl)mercury by the thermal decarboxylation of (CFgCOjlzHg is also a functional, and quite convenient, source of bis(trifiuoromethyl)mercury (23). 

Mercury Mercuric iodide Mercuric nitrate Mercuric oxide Mercurous nitrate Mercuric sulphate Mercuric sulphide Mercurous sulphate... 

Soliman and Belal investigated argentimetric (67,68) and mercurimetric (69) methods. Hydralazine precipitates silver from ammoniacal silver nitrate solution. The silver is dissolved with hot nitric acid and titrated with ammonium thiocyanate solution. Alternatively, mercury is precipitated from alkaline potassium mercuric iodide solution. The precipitated mercury is dissolved by adding excess standard iodine solution. The excess iodine is back-titrated with sodium thiosulfate solution after acidifying with acetic acid. 

Sulfoxides are known to form both 0-alkyl and S-alkyl derivatives. The latter are obtained when so-called soft alkylating agents are employed. This behavior of sulfoxides was utilized (172) in the stereospecific synthesis of chiral 135. The reaction of the optically active (+)-ethyl phenyl sulfoxide 136 with methyl iodide in the presence of mercuric iodide followed by anion exchange was found to give the optically active salt 135. 

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