| LC control no. | sh 85019022 |
|---|---|
| LC classification | RM666.M5 Drugs |
| Topical heading | Calomel |
| Variant(s) | Mercurous chloride Mercury chloride |
| See also | Chlorides Halide minerals Laxatives Mercury compounds |
| Found in | Wikipedia, Aug. 17, 2012 (Mercury(I) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula Hg₂Cl₂. Also known as calomel (a mineral form, rarely found in nature) or mercurous chloride, this dense white or yellowish-white, odorless solid is the principal example of a mercury(I) compound. IUPAC name: Dimercury dichloride. Other names: Mercurous chloride, Calomel) Britannica online, Aug. 17, 2012 (calomel (Hg₂Cl₂), also called mercurous chloride or mercury(I) chloride, a very heavy, soft, white, odourless, and tasteless halide mineral formed by the alteration of other mercury minerals, such as cinnabar or amalgams. Calomel is found together with native mercury, cinnabar, calcite, limonite, and clay at Moschellandsberg, Germany; Zimapán, Mexico; and Brewster county, Texas, U.S. Once the most popular of cathartics, calomel has been used in medicine since the 16th century. The recognition of its potential toxicity (because of disassociation into mercury and mercuric chloride), together with the development of superior and safer cathartics, led to a decline in its use in internal medicine. It has found application in certain insecticides and fungicides, however. The compound is also used in the construction of calomel electrodes for potentiometric titration (a chemical technique designed to measure the potential between two electrical conductors in a medium such as an electrolyte solution).) Clarke, F.W. The composition of the Earth's crust, 1924: p. 93 (Mercury chloride occurs native as calomel) |
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