13 Jan
2006
13 Jan
'06
9:01 a.m.
Sridhar Ayengar wrote:
Ok, I get it. I was thinking of it as a pure substance, rather than in
a compound.
Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA
I guess I
don't understand. I thought mercury was mercury.
Chemically, a metal behaves very differently when in a compound. Sodium
metal has a tendency to react violently with water. A chunk will fizz
violently. Ground sodium in cold water will explode, due to the higher
surface area. However, if you compound it with chlorine, you get
ordinary table salt, necessary for life.
Peace... Sridhar