Chemical element same atomic number, or number of protons. Nuclear scientists, however, define a pure element as one that consists of only one stable isotope. For example, a copper wire is 99.99% chemically pure if 99.99% of its atoms are copper, with 29 protons each. However it is not isotopically pure since ordinary copper consists of two stable isotopes, 69% Cu and 31% Cu, with different numbers of neutrons. However, a pure gold ingot would be both chemically and isotopically pure, since ordinary gold consists only of one isotope, Au. Atoms of chemically pure elements may bond to each other chemically in
Mercury (element) of 46.612 days. Most of the remaining radioisotopes have half-lives that are less than a day. and are the most often studied NMR-active nuclei, having spins of and respectively. Hg is the modern chemical symbol for mercury. It comes from "hydrargyrum", a Latinized form of the Greek word ὑδράργυρος ("hydrargyros"), which is a compound word meaning "water-silver" (from ὑδρ- "hydr-", the root of ὕδωρ, "water," and ἄργυρος "argyros" "silver") – since it is liquid like water and shiny like silver. The element was named after the Roman god Mercury, known for his speed and mobility. It is associated with the