recently i broke an old thermometer and found myself with these lovely little pearls of lethal mercury chasing themselves around the top of my workbench...darned hard to round up, they quickly run away from anything that touches them. if i understand it, its the vapor that that is most deadly, so id really like to get this stuff up before any evap can occur. is there a smart way?
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If you have a dropping pipette you should be able to gently suck the beads of metal up and transfer them into a secure container. You can have endless hours of entertainment chasing the beads around if you try to mop them up any other way.
In the lab we usually cover mercury spills with sulphur, which turns it into a safer form for disposal.
You're right that it's the vapour that's the biggest problem, so you should ventilate the area as much as possible. Avoid direct contact with the metal and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
In the lab we usually cover mercury spills with sulphur, which turns it into a safer form for disposal.
You're right that it's the vapour that's the biggest problem, so you should ventilate the area as much as possible. Avoid direct contact with the metal and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.