Or will it quickly soak into the carpet and not be visible? My son broke a glass thermometer and we don't know if it was a mercury thermometer or not. We can't find signs of mercury anywhere on the carpet.
2007-01-12 09:51:39 · 7 answers · asked by ChristyH 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
probably bead up. if you bought the thermometer in the last say decade, it isn't mercury.
2007-01-12 09:55:32 · answer #1 · answered by Dr W 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mercury is a metal, but it's also a liquid. I don't know that it will stay on top of the carpet, because it is a liquid after all. Mercury is a silvery color, so if the thermometer contained a red liquid you might not have to worry. There isn't really all that much liquid in a thermometer, and I probably wouldn't worry about it even if it was a mercury thermometer.
2007-01-12 17:57:52 · answer #2 · answered by AskerOfQuestions 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not too sure, but think it probably will bead up, although the beads may be very tiny if rubbed into carpet. Having worked in laboratories for most of my life, we were absolutely paranoid about dealing with spilt mercury. In the earlier years, we mainly vacuumed it up into a small glass container, but when working in schools we sprinkled it with sulphur powder and left it for several days before vacuuming it up.
Probably it's best to vacuum thoroughly. The amount of mercury in a thermometer is not really very large so I am sure it will be OK. However mercury, especially vapour is extremely poisonous and spills should never be taken lightly I worked beside a scientist who had had mercury poisoning and his hair turned brilliant red and then it all fell out. He did recover, but not an enjoyable experience !!!
2007-01-12 18:20:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mercury will bead up. I really don't think it would absorb into the carpet fibers because it is very dense. It is also heavy, so it may have fallen deeper into the carpet. It may have splattered into very small droplets so that it is hard see.
Is there any red residue on the carpet? Most thermometers now have red liquid.
Here's a site that might help if it is Mercury:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/eh/HlthHaz/fs/MercSpill.htm
2007-01-12 18:15:52 · answer #4 · answered by violet 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do you not remember what colour the liquid inside the glass was? red = alcohol, shiney metal = mercury! what was it used for? what was the temperature range? a fridge-freezer type thermometer for example would likely be alcohol. if the maximum value on the temperature scale is towards 100 deg centigrade (240 Fahrenheit), or higher, it will almost certainly be mercury.
2007-01-12 19:01:38 · answer #5 · answered by waif 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most likely...
2007-01-12 17:56:06 · answer #6 · answered by -jonathan g. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it will
2007-01-12 17:55:28 · answer #7 · answered by rwbblb46 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋