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Mercury does occur as the native metal, as well as in mercury salts. It has an attractive appearance with its mobile silvery look. Its Greek name was hydragyrum

and the hydra part was for water, and the argyumwas for its silvery appearance, and from this we get the symbol Hg used in science.

The original identification of this element is lost in pre-history. It was known to the ancient Egyptians from about 1500 BC, and a later (known) date from the Chinese.

One of its uses is to amalgamate fine dust of gold, as obtained from alluvial gold workings, and the mercury may be reclaimed from the amalgam by squeezing in a chamois leather bag. Heating to boil off the mercury, and recovering the mercury by condensation, is another method.

It must be emphasized that working with liquid mercury is hazardous, and mercury is toxic to humans.

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How was mercury the planet discovered?

Mercury was discovered visually by looking at the sky shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset. It was discovered in antiquity.


When was the Mercury's atom discovered?

Mercury is known from many thousands years; a discoverer is not known.


Where was the element mercury discovered?

pure mercury is found in volcanic rocks usually found in spain.


What liquid metal has been found in 3500 year old Egyptian tombs.?

A:Mercury (Hg) was the element which was discovered.


When was the metal Mercury discovered?

The liquid element mercury was isolated by the ancient Chinese and the Egyptians, probably from the mineral cinnabar (mercuric sulfide). Mercury was also refined and used in Mesoamerica by the Maya, independently of the Chinese discovery.While some early users imagined that it had medicinal properties, the opposite was true because the metal is a toxic poison.In past societies, the mercury ore (cinnabar) was valued for its red colour. When cinnabar is heated, it reverts to metallic mercury. Mercury gave silver and gold objects a beautiful shine - as well as poisoning the miners, refiners and owners of the objects.---The original name for the element was "quicksilver" (for its shine and liquid form). The current name may reference the Greek God, Mercury, who was known for his shiny helmet and being fleet of foot. Its chemical symbol Hg comes from the Latin hydrargyrum ("silver water").Mercury was identified as a chemical element by French scientist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794).Because the ancients had no resources that would identify Mercury as a dangerous and deadly ore, it probably caused the death of many people, especially those who used it as a medicine. In more modern times, dentists used mercury in tooth fillings. But in the mid 20th century, dentists stopped using mercury as part of an amalgam for filling teeth.