Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Bonding in Metals02:32

Bonding in Metals

55.0K
Metallic bonds are formed between two metal atoms. A simplified model to describe metallic bonding has been developed by Paul Drüde called the “Electron Sea Model”. 
55.0K
Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity01:17

Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity

4.8K
In 1905, Albert Einstein published his special theory of relativity. According to this theory, no matter in the universe can attain a speed greater than the speed of light in a vacuum, which thus serves as the speed limit of the universe.
This has been verified in many experiments. However, space and time are no longer absolute. Two observers moving relative to one another do not agree on the length of objects or the passage of time. The mechanics of objects based on Newton's laws of...
4.8K
Superconductor01:24

Superconductor

1.9K
A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
1.9K
Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature01:27

Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature

1.0K
Atomization, converting samples into gas-phase atoms and ions, is essential for atomic spectroscopy. The flame temperature required for atomization affects the efficiency of the atomic spectroscopic methods by increasing the atomization efficiency and the relative population of the excited and ground states.
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature...
1.0K
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing02:39

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

15.4K
Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
15.4K
Escape Velocities of Gases01:19

Escape Velocities of Gases

1.4K
To escape the Earth's gravity, an object near the top of the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 km must travel away from Earth at 11.1 km/s. This speed is called the escape velocity. The temperature at which gas molecules attain the rms speed, which is equal to the escape velocity, can be estimated by using the equation for the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules. According to the kinetic theory of gas, the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules is proportional to its...
1.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Possible outcome of sunlight-promoted photoinductive reactive pathways for the degradation of environmental pollutants 8-nitrofluoranthene and 9-nitrophenanthrene.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026
Same author

Accurate relativistic density functional calculations for the solid-state of metallic francium.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026
Same author

Exact lattice summations for Lennard-Jones potentials coupled to a three-body Axilrod-Teller-Muto term applied to cuboidal phase transitions.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025
Same author

Atomic-Scale Dynamics at the Interface of Doped Liquid Gallium: Contrasting Effects of Gallium Oxide and Vacuum.

Small science·2025
Same author

Quantum electrodynamic corrections for molecules: Vacuum polarization and electron self-energy in a two-component relativistic framework.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025
Same author

The theory of Barlow packings: Basic properties and cohesive energies from exact lattice summations within the sticky hard-sphere model.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Extreme Nanowires and Other 1D Systems
07:44

Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Extreme Nanowires and Other 1D Systems

Published on: April 28, 2016

15.6K

Accurate, Large-Scale Density Functional Melting of Hg: Relativistic Effects Decrease Melting Temperature by 160 K.

Krista G Steenbergen1, Elke Pahl1, Peter Schwerdtfeger1

  • 1Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study and the Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University Auckland , Private Bag 102904, 0632 Auckland, New Zealand.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|March 14, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Relativistic effects explain why mercury is a liquid at room temperature. Calculations show mercury

More Related Videos

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
09:18

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Published on: December 14, 2017

11.1K
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

9.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Extreme Nanowires and Other 1D Systems
07:44

Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Extreme Nanowires and Other 1D Systems

Published on: April 28, 2016

15.6K
Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
09:18

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Published on: December 14, 2017

11.1K
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

9.0K

Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Quantum Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Mercury's liquid state at room temperature is a unique property among metals.
  • Understanding the underlying physical mechanisms is crucial for materials science and chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of relativistic effects in determining mercury's melting point.
  • To validate computational models against experimental data for mercury's phase transition.

Main Methods:

  • First-principles calculations
  • Density functional theory (DFT)
  • Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations
  • Interface pinning method

Main Results:

  • Relativistic effects significantly lower mercury's predicted melting temperature to 241 K.
  • Nonrelativistic calculations yield a substantially higher melting temperature of 402 K.
  • The calculated melting point (241 K) closely matches the experimental value (234 K).

Conclusions:

  • Relativistic effects are the primary cause of mercury's liquid state at room temperature.
  • Computational methods, incorporating relativistic physics, accurately predict mercury's melting behavior.