Where
Mercury Comes From
Like
many other elements, Mercury is mined from the earth’s crust.
Mercury is found at an average of .08g
per ton of rock.
Cinnabar, a red sulfide, is the ore in which Mercury is found.
The cinnabar, though, must be decomposed by air or lime in order to
obtain the mercury inside.
But, since Mercury is poisonous, these methods are much outdated.
Cinnabar, nowadays, is melted away in solutions of sodium hypo chlorite or
sulfide and the Mercury is recovered by precipitation (Zinc Group Element
Mercury-Encyclopedia Britannica).
Most of the Mercury is found in Spain and Italy.
But, it occurs in other places such as Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Germany, and
even in the US.