✉news WorldWorld first seen 11 h ago, last 6 h ago, peak #6
Relativity explains why mercury is liquid
Original: Relativity behind mercury's liquidity
Chemistry World reports on the physics behind mercury's unusual state: relativistic effects lower the energy of mercury's outer electrons, weakening metallic bonding so the metal stays liquid at room temperature while other metals are solid. The item revisits a classic explanation in chemistry for why mercury melts at minus 39 degrees Celsius and behaves differently from neighbouring elements in the periodic table.
Why now: Interest in the counterintuitive science story that relativity, normally associated with high speeds, explains an everyday material property
Rank over time, top of the chart is #1. 5 snapshots from 11 h ago to 6 h ago.
Evidence
- Relativity behind mercury's liquidity · Chemistry World
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