5873. Mercuric Acetate

Nomenclature

CAS number: 1600-27-7
Acetic acid mercury (2+) salt (2:1); bis(acetyloxy)mercury; diacetoxymercury.
C4H6HgO4; mol wt 318.68.
C 15.08%, H 1.90%, Hg 62.94%, O 20.08%.
Hg(CH3COO)2.

Description and references

Prepd from HgO and acetic acid: Wagenknecht, Juza in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry vol. 2, G. Brauer, Ed. (Academic Press, New York, 2nd ed., 1965) pp 1120-1121.

Properties

Crystals or cryst powder; slight acetic odor; sensitive to light. Poisonous. d 3.28. mp 178-180° (overheating results in decompn). One g dissolves in 2.5 ml cold, 1 ml boiling water; sol in alcohol. Keep well closed and protected from light. Aq solns decomp on standing, yielding a yellow ppt.

Use

Chiefly for mercuration of organic compounds; for the absorption of ethylene. Determn of nitrate in chromium compounds.