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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Why&nbsp;is&nbsp;mercury&nbsp;a&nbsp;liquid&nbsp;under&nbsp;Earth&nbsp;surface&nbsp;conditions? The&nbsp;elements&nbsp;around&nbsp;it&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;periodic&nbsp;table&nbsp;have&nbsp;much&nbsp;higher&nbsp;melting&nbsp;points. I&nbsp;have&nbsp;been&nbsp;hunting&nbsp;for&nbsp;an&nbsp;answer, but&nbsp;have&nbsp;not&nbsp;found&nbsp;substantial. Obviously, it&nbsp;involves&nbsp;the&nbsp;forces&nbsp;holding&nbsp;the&nbsp;mercury&nbsp;atoms&nbsp;together. However, I&nbsp;cannot&nbsp;think&nbsp;why&nbsp;mercury&nbsp;would&nbsp;be&nbsp;so&nbsp;different&nbsp;from&nbsp;other&nbsp;metals. One&nbsp;source&nbsp;mentioned&nbsp;its&nbsp;atomic&nbsp;radius, but&nbsp;other&nbsp;metals&nbsp;have&nbsp;similar&nbsp;sizes&nbsp;and&nbsp;still&nbsp;have&nbsp;high&nbsp;melting&nbsp;points.</SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Thank&nbsp;you.</SPAN></DIV>
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Norma&nbsp;Holowach, M.Ed&nbsp;<br>

National&nbsp;Board&nbsp;Certified&nbsp;Teacher&nbsp;<br>

Praxis&nbsp;III&nbsp;Assessor&nbsp;<br>

Lakeview&nbsp;High&nbsp;School&nbsp;<br>

300&nbsp;Hillman&nbsp;Drive&nbsp;<br>

Cortland, OH&nbsp;44410&nbsp;<br>

(330)637-4921&nbsp;<br>

"Connecting&nbsp;with&nbsp;nature&nbsp;is&nbsp;an&nbsp;essential&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;being&nbsp;alive." <br>

National&nbsp;Geographic. <br>

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