Mercurous and mercuric compounds

Mercury Recovery Services, Inc. (MRS), has developed the Mercury Removal/Recovery Process (MRRP) to treat media contaminated with mercury. The ex situ process uses medium-temperature thermal desorption to remove the mercury from contaminated wastes. Process wastes are heated in a two-step process to recover metallic mercury in a 99% pure form. MRS claims MRRP can be applied to soils, activated carbon, mixed waste, catalysts, electrical equipment, batteries, lamps, fluorescent bulbs, mercurous and mercuric compounds, mercury-contaminated waste liquids, and debris. 

Mercurous and mercuric chloride, known respectively as calomel and corrosive sublimate, are two of the most important salts of mercury. Other halogenated mercury salts include mercurous bromide, Hg2Br2, a yellowish-white powder insoluble in water mercuric bromide, HgBr2, comprised of white crystals sparingly soluble in cold water but readily soluble in hot water mercurous iodide, Hg2l2, a yellowish-green powder and mercuric iodide, which exists in two crystalline forms. Other mercuric and mercurous compounds include nitrates, nitrites, sulfides, sulfates, phosphides, phosphates, and ammonium salts. 

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