Hg2SO4
mercurous sulfate · mercury(I) sulfate
Mercurous sulfate is a stable, semiconducting mercury salt frequently used as a reference material in electrochemical electrodes.
About mercurous sulfate
Mercurous sulfate is a mercury-based inorganic compound that exhibits semiconducting electronic properties. As a thermodynamically stable phase, it maintains structural integrity under standard conditions, making it a reliable material for specialized chemical applications. Its existence across multiple reported structures highlights its well-documented nature in materials databases. The compound is most widely recognized for its role in electrochemical systems. By providing a stable potential, it serves as a critical component in the construction of reference electrodes, which are essential for precise measurements in analytical chemistry and laboratory instrumentation.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for mercurous sulfate, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Hg2SO4, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P2/c (No. 13) | monoclinic | 1.99 | 0.0000 | -4.852 | 6.99 |
| P2/c (No. 13) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 6.44 |
| P2/c (No. 13) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 6.90 |
| P2/c (No. 13) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 6.59 |
| P2/c (No. 13) | — | — | — | — | — |
Applications
Where mercurous sulfate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about mercurous sulfate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Hg2SO4?
Mercurous sulfate is a stable, semiconducting mercury salt frequently used as a reference material in electrochemical electrodes.
What is Hg2SO4 used for?
What is the band gap of Hg2SO4?
Is Hg2SO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Hg2SO4 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Hg2SO4?
What is the density of Hg2SO4?
How many polymorphs of Hg2SO4 are known?
What elements does Hg2SO4 contain?
Where does the data for Hg2SO4 come from?
How It Compares
As a distinct mercury-based salt, mercurous sulfate serves as a specialized reference material. Unlike many other mercury compounds that may exhibit higher volatility or reactivity, this sulfate is noted for its thermodynamic stability, which is a key requirement for its long-term performance in electrochemical sensing applications.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
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