MERCUROUS CHLORIDE
corrosive to mucous membranes and used as a topical antiseptic and disinfectant.
Mercuric chloride was used to disinfect wounds by Arab physicians in the Middle Ages but modern medicine has since deemed it unsafe for use.
Mercurous chloride finds uses as a purgative (laxative), and in the preparation of insecticides and medicines. It has also been used to treat infections of intestinal worms and as a fungicide (a substance used to kill fungi and prevent fungal growth) in agriculture.
Mercuric chloride has an estimated human fatal dose of between 1 and 4 g.
Mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2), also known as Calomel, is a typical mercury-containing mineral found in nature. In this work, the leaching behaviour of pure mercurous chloride dissolved in pure water and in thiosulfate solution was investigated.