What is "mercury chloride"

n. a white poisonous soluble crystalline sublimate of mercury; used as a pesticide or antiseptic or wood preservative [syn: mercuric chloride, bichloride of mercury, corrosive sublimate]

Mercury(II) chloride or mercuric chloride (archaically, corrosive sublimate) is the chemical compound of mercury and chlorine with the formula HgCl. This white crystalline solid is a laboratory reagent and a molecular compound. Once used as a treatment for syphilis, it is no longer used for medicinal purposes because of mercury toxicity and the availability of superior treatments.

Mercury chloride can refer to:

• Mercury(II) chloride or mercuric chloride (HgCl)
• Mercury(I) chloride or mercurous chloride (HgCl)

Mercury(I) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula HgCl. Also known as calomel (a mineral form, rarely found in nature) or mercurous chloride, this dense white or yellowish-white, odorless solid is the principal example of a mercury(I) compound. It is a component of reference electrodes in electrochemistry.