Answer
Physical properties of mercury (II) oxide:
a. mercury (II) oxide is orange- red;
b. mercury (II) oxide is solid
c. mercury (II) oxide density is 1.1 g/cm3
d. mercury (II) oxide is insoluble in water ( doesn’t dissolve in water)
Chemical properties of mercury (II) oxide:
mercury (II) oxide decomposes when heated to give mercury and oxygen.
Work Step by Step
Physical properties of mercury (II) oxide:
Mercury (II) oxide is orange- red. This statement describes the color of mercury (II) oxide that is a physical property and no chemical reaction is involved.
Mercury (II) oxide is solid. This statement describes the normal state of matter mercury (II) oxide, therefore this is physical property.
mercury (II) oxide density is 1.1 g/cm3. Density is the mass per unit of volume (remember formula: d=m/v). Thus this statement on the density of mercury (II) oxide can be restated in these words: there are 1.1 g of mercury (II) oxide in 1 cm3 of this substance. This statement describes physical property of mercury (II) oxide.
mercury (II) oxide is insoluble in water ( doesn’t dissolve in water). This statement describes a physical property of mercury (II) oxide as no chemical reaction is involved.
Chemical properties of mercury (II) oxide:
Mercury (II) oxide decomposes when heated to give mercury and oxygen. This statement tells us that if we heat mercury (II) oxide it will give two new substances: mercury and oxygen. A chemical change has happened to mercury (II) oxide that can be written:
mercury (II) oxide -> mercury + oxygen
Therefore this is a chemical property as mercury (II) oxide do not retain its chemical identity.
