video tutorial Aluminium amalgam from a broken thermometer

Name: video tutorial - Aluminium amalgam from a broken thermometer
Uploaded: 2025-12-11T09:03:44.260Z
Duration: 7 min 12 s
Description: We recently broke a mercury thermometer....This was unfortunate, but then we realized we could salvage the mercury from it and maybe do something interesting.

Recovered a small amount of mercury from a broken thermometer and considered salvaging it.
Dissolved mercury with a few drops of 68% nitric acid; reaction was vigorous and produced brown nitrogen dioxide fumes.
As the acid became more dilute, the reaction slowed; added more acid to keep it going.
A white solid crystallized in the middle of the beaker and then spread, likely mercury nitrate crystallizing.
Some mercury remained; continued adding acid to dissolve the precipitate; over ~30 minutes the rest of the mercury reacted.
Resulting clear solution contained excess nitric acid; planned neutralization with about 1 g sodium carbonate in 7–8 mL water, added dropwise.
CO2 gas released; temporary precipitate resembling mercury carbonate formed, then redissolved.
After a few more drops, the mixture turned white and crystallized again; added 5 mL water to try to dissolve the precipitate before continuing.
pH remained strongly acidic; white precipitate did not dissolve with water; neutralization continued with sodium carbonate; mixture turned slightly cream and more white precipitate formed.
pH became neutral; white precipitate could be basic insoluble mercury carbonate or a mercury(I) salt formed as nitric acid diluted.
Tested amalgamation with aluminum foil: mercury compounds in solution reduced by aluminum, forming an aluminium–mercury alloy; the aluminum oxide layer was removed, exposing reactive aluminum that produced gas and white aluminum hydroxide on the surface.
Mercury salts can act as a powerful reducing agent for aluminum; potential use in organic synthesis; plan to explore using the mercury solution in a future video.