Pulsating Electrochemical Reaction: Mercury Beating Heart
Demonstration Notes, Warnings, Safety Information
Poison, poisonous vapors, chemical irritant, carcinogen
Mercury is poisonous. Soluble mercury salts cause corrosive effects on skin and mucous membranes, severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, kidney damage, and death. Mercury is readily absorbed through the respiratory tract, the skin, and the gastrointestinal tract. The concentration of mercury vapor from an open container is above the maximum safe exposure limit. Mercury spills should be cleaned up promptly with approved mercury spill cleaning methods.
Acidic dichromate solutions are human carcinogens. Taken internally chromates and dichromates are corrosive poisons.
The solution used in this demonstration is acidic and therefore corrosive to skin. Gloves should be worn and if any acidic dichromate solution is spilled on the skin, it should be washed off with plenty of water. Spills of large quantities of dichromate require special cleanup.
These demonstration videos are not meant as tools to teach chemical demonstration techniques. They are meant as a tools for classroom use. Many of the demonstrations present safety hazards or are difficult for an entire class to observe as live demos. If you wish to perform the demonstrations shown here, you should obtain a copy of Shakhashiri's Chemical Demonstrations Vol. 1-4 (1), Gilbert, Alyea, Dutton and Dreisbach's Tested Demonstrations in Chemistry, Vol. I and II (2) and Ellis, Geselbracht, Johnson, Lisensky, and Robinson's Teaching General Chemistry: A Materials Science Companion (3).
Safety information can be obtained from (4).
Credits for the safety information throughout Chemistry Comes Alive!:
Frank W. Darrow, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850
Kelly Houston Jetzer, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706
Gery J. Essenmacher, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706
David Phillips, Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN 47933
John W. Moore, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706
Citations
1. Shakhashiri. B. Z. Chemical Demonstrations; University of Wisconsin press: Madison, 1983; Vol. 1.
Shakhashiri. B. Z., Chemical Demonstrations; University of Wisconsin press: Madison, 1985; Vol. 2.
Shakhashiri. B. Z., Chemical Demonstrations; University of Wisconsin press: Madison, 1989; Vol. 3.
Shakhashiri. B. Z., Chemical Demonstrations; University of Wisconsin press: Madison, 1992; Vol. 4.
2. Gilbert, G. L.; Alyea, H. N.; Dutton, F. B.; Dreisbach, D. Tested Demonstrations in Chemistry; Denison University and Journal of Chemical Education: Granville, OH, 1994.
3. Ellis, A. B.; Geselbracht, M. J.; Johnson, B. J.; Lisensky, G. C.; Robinson, W. R. Teaching General Chemistry: A Materials Science Companion, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1993.
4. University of Wisconsin System Administration OSLP EHS MSDS Database; http://www.uwsa.edu/oslp/ehs/msds98-1/ Try this link if you are connected to the web.