HgSO4
mercuric sulfate · mercury(II) sulfate
Mercuric sulfate is a thermodynamically stable, semiconducting mercury salt widely used as a chemical reagent and catalyst in various industrial and laboratory applications.

About mercuric sulfate
Mercuric sulfate is a stable inorganic compound that exists as a white, crystalline solid. Its electronic character as a semiconductor makes it an interesting subject for study within the broader landscape of mercury-based salts. Being thermodynamically stable on the convex hull, it maintains a robust structural integrity under standard conditions. The compound is well-documented in crystallographic databases, reflecting its historical significance in chemical research and industrial processes. It is primarily utilized as a reagent and catalyst, particularly in organic synthesis where mercury-mediated reactions are required. Its ability to facilitate specific chemical transformations underscores its utility in laboratory and manufacturing settings.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for mercuric 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.
Applications
Where mercuric sulfate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about mercuric sulfate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is HgSO4?
Mercuric sulfate is a thermodynamically stable, semiconducting mercury salt widely used as a chemical reagent and catalyst in various industrial and laboratory applications.
What is HgSO4 used for?
What is the band gap of HgSO4?
Is HgSO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is HgSO4 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of HgSO4 are known?
What elements does HgSO4 contain?
Where does the data for HgSO4 come from?
How It Compares
As a mercury-based sulfate, this compound represents a distinct chemical entity that serves as a fundamental example of heavy metal oxo-anion coordination. While it does not share a direct structural family with other common sulfates, it holds a unique role as a stable, semiconducting mercury source that bridges the gap between simple inorganic salts and more complex coordination frameworks.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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