Something of interest is the types of forces that exist between the molecules of mercury making it difficult to bond with other surfaces. The cohesive force between the molecules of mercury ensures that it does not wet a glass surface instead maintains a convex shape while in contact with a glass surface unlike water which assumes the shape of the glass as it wet it due to the cohesive force. This is interesting because mercury is a liquid just like water yet its actions when it comes into contact with other surfaces are different with those of water. It is therefore important to note that metallic bonding in mercury is much stronger than hydrogen bonding in water creating the differences when it comes to the interactions.
Surface tension which is the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid by a unit area is something that is of great importance when dealing with mercury. It is a subject that requires deeper understanding. This is because a good understanding of surface tension will make the learner know whether the element in question has issues of intermolecular imbalance or strong cohesive forces existing within it. When one understands surface tension then the person has the ability to explain metallic bonding and intermolecular imbalance. There are probably elements with intermolecular imbalance but do not have strong cohesive forces meaning they will still have higher surface tension.
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Mercury is a unique element because it exists both as a liquid and a metal. It is called a liquid metal making it behave uniquely in comparison to other elements like water. This is something to wonder about because mercury exhibits both the characteristics of a liquid and a solid at the same time. Mercury is also non polar meaning that it lacks the capacity to form adhesive bonds when it comes into contact with other molecules.
