calomel

cal·o·mel

C0042000 (kăl′ə-mĕl′, -məl)n. A white or brown tasteless powder, Hg₂Cl₂, used as an insecticide and formerly as a purgative. Also called mercurous chloride.

[Probably from New Latin calomelās : Greek kalos, beautiful + melās, black.]

calomel

(ˈkæləˌmɛl; -məl) n (Elements & Compounds) a colourless tasteless powder consisting chiefly of mercurous chloride, used medicinally, esp as a cathartic. Formula: Hg2Cl2[C17: perhaps from New Latin calomelas (unattested), literally: beautiful black (perhaps so named because it was originally sublimed from a black mixture of mercury and mercuric chloride), from Greek kalos beautiful + melas black]

cal•o•mel

(ˈkæl əˌmɛl, -məl)

n. a white, tasteless powder, Hg₂Cl₂, used chiefly as a purgative and fungicide. Also called mercurous chloride. [1670–80; < New Latin calomelas]

Thesaurus

Noun

calomel - a tasteless colorless powder used medicinally as a catharticmercurous chlorideblack lotion, blackwash - a mixture of calomel and limewater that is used on syphilitic soresatomic number 80, Hg, hydrargyrum, mercury, quicksilver - a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatureschloride - any compound containing a chlorine atom

Translations

calomelano

Calomel

enUK

calomel

[′kal·ə·məl] (mineralogy) Hg₂Cl₂ A colorless, white, grayish, yellowish, or brown secondary, sectile, tetragonal mineral; used as a cathartic, insecticide, and fungicide. Also known as calomelene; calomelite; horn quicksilver; mercurial horn ore.

Calomel

(from the Greek kalos, “beautiful,” and melas, “black”), mercurous chloride, Hg₂Cl₂; a colorless powder. When treated with caustic alkalies or ammonia, it turns black (hence the name). The darkening occurs as result of the precipitation of finely powdered mercury according to the reactions

Hg₂Cl₂ + 2NaOH - Hg + HgO + 2NaCl + H₂O

Hg₂Cl₂ + 2NH ₄OH = HgNH₂Cl + Hg + NH₄C1 + 2H₂O

Calomel has a density of 7, 160 kg/m³ and evaporates without fusion. Its sublimation point is 383.7°C. It is poorly soluble in water.

Calomel is used in the preparation of calomel electrodes and as a catalyst in organic reactions. In medicine it serves as an antibacterial agent, applied externally in ointment form in cases of wart infections and gonorrheal conjunctivitis and as a safeguard against venereal diseases (locally). Calomel is sometimes used internally as a cholagogue.

In nature calomel exists as a rare mineral of the halide group.It crystallizes in the tetragonal system and has an adamantineluster. Its hardness on the mineralogical scale measures 1.5.Native calomel exhibits very high double refraction. It is formedin the oxidation zone of mercury deposits.

calomel

cal·o·mel

(kal'ō-mel), Mild mercury chloride; mercury monochloride, protochloride, or subchloride; has been used as an intestinal antiseptic and laxative; replaced by safer agents. Synonym(s): mercurous chloride, sweet precipitate [Mediev. L., fr. G. kalos, beautiful, + melas, black]

calomel

(kăl′ə-mĕl′, -məl)n. A white or brown tasteless powder, Hg₂Cl₂, used as an insecticide and formerly as a purgative. Also called mercurous chloride.

calomel

(kal'o-mel) [Gr. kalos, beautiful, + melas, black] A former name for mercury (I) chloride The term is still in use in “calomel electrode.” Mercury (I) chloride.

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Synonyms for calomel

noun a tasteless colorless powder used medicinally as a cathartic

Synonyms

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