Period 6 element point of −38.83 °C and boiling point of 356.73 °C, mercury has one of the narrowest ranges of its liquid state of any metal. Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide). The red pigment vermilion is mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar. Cinnabar is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust. Mercury poisoning can also result from exposure to water-soluble forms of mercury (such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury), inhalation of mercury vapor, or eating seafood contaminated with mercury. Mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, mercury switches, and other
Metal ammine complex is ammonia (pK ~ 33). For highly cationic complexes such as [Pt(NH)], the conjugate base can be obtained. The deprotonation of cobalt(III) ammine-halide complexes, e.g. [CoCl(NH)] labilises the Co-Cl bond, according to the Sn1CB mechanism. Metal ammine complexes find many uses. Cisplatin (PtCl(NH)) is a coordination compound containing two chloro and two ammine ligands. This is a drug used in treating cancer. Many other amine complexes of the platinum group metals have been evaluated for this application. In the separation of the individual platinum metals from their ore, several schemes rely on the precipitation of [RhCl(NH)]Cl. In some separation schemes,