Why is mercury toxic in its gaseous phase and nontoxic in its liquid phase?
Hi, Both forms of mercury are toxic to us. It’s just that mercury vapor (aka, gaseous mercury) is more easily and efficiently absorbed into our body through our lungs, as compare with liquid mercury that comes in contact with our skin or is ingested. Mercury is in fact orderless (I would not recommend sniffing it, since that would expose you to the vapor) and its vapor is colorless. The above relates only to metallic (elemental) mercury, and not to other mercury containing compounds such as methyl-mercury or mercury-chloride, which may also be easily absorbed through contact or ingestion. In any case, mercury, in all its forms and compounds, should be considered toxic and preferably handled by a professional. If you want to find out more about the hazards of mercury and how to detect for it I suggest following the links I posted under sources. Keep safe, Ron Novik (M.Sc.
