THERMODYNAMICS

GROUP 6
B AY T O N , C H R I S T I N E J O Y T.
FERNANDEZ, MICA A.
M A L A C O C O , K R I S T I N E M A B E L V.
P A L C O N I T, J O S H U A V.
S A P I N , M A RY R E N Y L L E B .
MERCURY -IN-
GL ASS
THERMOMETER
 HISTORY
• The mercury-in-glass thermometer was
invented by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
in Amsterdam (1714).
• Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was a
German physicist.
• It is a bulb containing Mercury attached
to a glass tube of narrow diameter.
• Calibrated marks on the tube allow the temperature to be
read by the length of the mercury within the tube, which
varies according to the heat given to it.
• To increase the sensitivity, there is usually a bulb of mercury at
the end of the thermometer which contains most of the
mercury.
• Mercury, unlike water, does not expand upon solidification and
will not break the glass tube.
• Mercury will solidify (freeze) at -38.83 °C (-37.89 °F)

• 356.7˚C - The boiling point of mercury.

• The space above the mercury may be filled with nitrogen

or it may be less than atmospheric pressure, which is
normally known as a vacuum.
RISK OF MERCURY THERMOMETER
• The typical "fever thermometer" contains between 0.5 to 3 g
(.3 to 1.7 dr) of elemental mercury.[4] Swallowing this amount
of mercury would, it is said, pose little danger but the inhaling
of the vapour could lead to health problems.

• Each thermometer contains about .5-1.5 grams of mercury.

One gram of mercury can contaminate a 20 acre lake,
enough to cause a public advisory to be issued on the
potential dangers of eating fish caught in that lake.
• It has a high electrical conductivity and it expands and
contracts evenly with changes in temperature.

Mercury poses a particular threat to:

• Pregnant women - Mercury can be passed on to the baby through the
placenta or when breastfeeding. It can affect the developing fetus by stopping
the brain and nervous system from properly functioning.
• Young Children - Children affected by mercury show lowered intelligence,
impaired hearing and poor coordination.
Long term exposure causes symptoms to increase and to worsen, possibly
resulting in personality changes and even coma.