| Chemical Properties | white crystalline powder |
| Chemical Properties | Mercuric Bromide is a crystalline solid |
| Uses | Medicine. |
| Uses | Mercury(II) bromide is used as a reagent in the Koenigs-Knorr reaction, which forms glycoside linkages on carbohydrates. It is also used to test for the presence of arsenic, as recommended by the Pharmacopoeia. |
| Definition | ChEBI: Mercury dibromide is a mercury coordination entity composed of mercury and bromine with the formula HgBr2. |
| General Description | White rhombic crystals. Sensitive to light. Slightly soluble in water and denser than water. Severely toxic by inhalation and ingestion. |
| Air & Water Reactions | Slightly soluble in water. |
| Reactivity Profile | MERCURIC BROMIDE is incompatible with acetylene, ammonia, chlorine dioxide, azides, calcium (amalgam formation), sodium carbide, lithium, rubidium, copper . Reacts with sodium azide to give mercury(II) azide, which is sensitive to shock, friction, and heat. Mixing with hydrazine salts in basic solution produced a heat or shock sensitive yellow precipitate [Annalen, 1899, 305, 191]. Reacts violently with chlorine trifluoride *with ignition often occurring. |
| Hazard | Toxic by inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption; strong irritant. |
| Health Hazard | TOXIC; inhalation, ingestion or skin contact with material may cause severe injury or death. Contact with molten substance may cause severe burns to skin and eyes. Avoid any skin contact. Effects of contact or inhalation may be delayed. Fire may produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may be corrosive and/or toxic and cause pollution. |
| Fire Hazard | Non-combustible, substance itself does not burn but may decompose upon heating to produce corrosive and/or toxic fumes. Some are oxidizers and may ignite combustibles (wood, paper, oil, clothing, etc.). Contact with metals may evolve flammable hydrogen gas. Containers may explode when heated. |
| Safety Profile | A poison by ingestion, skin contact, and intraperitoneal routes. Vigorous reaction with indium at 35OC. Incompatible with sodmm and potassium. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic fumes of Brand Hg. See also MERCURY COMPOUNDS and BROMIDES. |
| Potential Exposure | This compound has applications in medicine. |
| Shipping | UN1634 Mercuric bromides, Hazard Class: 6.1; Labels: 6.1-Poisonous materials |
| Purification Methods | Crystallise it from hot saturated ethanolic solution, dry and keep it at 100o for several hours under a vacuum, then sublime it. [Garrett J Am Chem Soc 61 2744 1939.] Its solubility in H2O is 0.6% at 20o, and 22% at 100o; in EtOH it is 30% at 25o; and in MeOH it is 69.6% at 25o. [Wagenknecht & Juza Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (Ed. Brauer) Academic Press Vol II p 1109 1965.] POISONOUS. |
| Incompatibilities | Violent reaction with active metals; potassium, sodium. Store away from heat and light |
