Elemental, Inorganic, and Organic
Just like peanut-butter, Mercury comes in different forms. But, unlike your chunky, smooth, and jelly swirl (Yuck!) Mercury comes in elemental, organic, and inorganic forms. Each has different qualities and different uses to humans. And if not useful, compounds of Mercury are just plain dangerous.
Elemental
mercury is just plain mercury. It’s
the original element, the atom, quicksilver by itself and all alone.
Though I personally can’t see very many uses in just
mercury, other than your thermometers and barometers, it does have a lot of
compounds. Exposure will occur only
in the workplace or if your fillings leak and the mercury spills out into your
mouth. Makes you want to brush your
teeth more regularly, doesn’t it?
Inorganic is mercury with any mix of metals or non-metals except carbon. Examples of inorganic mercury is HgO which is used to make the organic compounds of mercury. Exposure will occur less than one would think. Inorganic mercury is found in old latex paint cans before 1990 due to the fact the US has banned mercury compounds. (Mercury Processing, Encyclopedia Britannica Online)
Organic
mercury is mercury that has carbon in it. Most
likely one won’t be exposed to this unless eating a contaminated fish.
This type of mercury is methyl mercury. (Lakes Environmental Software,
Mercury and Compounds)