Mercury evaporates at room temperatures turning into colorless flavorless vapor. The presence of mercury vapors in the air may be indicated by special measuring devices or by means of chemical analysis.
Mercury evaporation in stable air by means of diffusion is a slower process than mercury evaporation in convective air flows. Finely-divided mercury evaporation speed is extra-high.
Mercury solvability in water is low. Mercury doesn’t oxidize at room temperatures. Metal mercury interacts with halogens at normal temperatures, firstly producing halogenides Hg2X, then halogenides HgX. The high potential of mercury ionization determines its ability to restore from different compounding back to metallic state.