Archives for: May 2010, 06
Ртуть
May 6th, 2010 by DonThe Russian word for mercury, the element, is ртуть, which is a feminine third-declension noun. The word mostly occurs in the singular:
| Sg | |
| Nom | ртуть |
| Acc | |
| Gen | ртути |
| Pre | |
| Dat | |
| Ins | ртутью |
The place most of us used to encounter mercury was in thermometers:
| В медицинском термометре объём ртути увеличивается и уменьшается при изменении температуры окружающей среды. (adapted from source) | In a medical thermometer the volume of mercury increases and decreases as the temperature of the surrounding environment changes. |
Nowadays mercury thermometers are being replaced by digital thermometers that have no mercury, so we mostly encounter the word in high school chemistry classes in the periodic table of the elements. Its symbol is Hg, which is taken from the Latin word Hydrargyrum, which is based on the Greek roots ὑδρ- ‘water’ and ἀργυρ- ‘silver’:
| Ртуть — элемент шестого периода периодической системы химических элементов Д. И. Менделеева, с атомным номером 80. (adapted from source) | Mercury is an element of the sixth period of Mendeleev's periodic table of the elements; its atomic number is eighty. |
I remember allowing a small quantity of mercury to roll around in my hand as a kid. Despite how beautiful it was, that really wasn't a good idea:
| Пары ртути, а также металлическая ртуть очень ядовиты, могут вызвать тяжёлое отравление. (adapted from source) | Mercury vapors and metallic mercury are very toxic and can cause serious poisoning. |
By the way, if you are in the mood to explore the elements in Russian, there is a marvelous interactive periodic table of the elements available at chem.50webs.com
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