Why is alcohol sometimes used instead of mercury in a thermometer designed for very cold climates?
Question 1 Report
Why is alcohol sometimes used instead of mercury in a thermometer designed for very cold climates?
Answer Details
Mercury freezes at approximately -39 °C, so a mercury thermometer cannot measure temperatures below that. In very cold climates, temperatures can drop well below -39 °C.
Alcohol (ethanol) has a freezing point of approximately -114 °C, which is far lower than mercury's. This means an alcohol thermometer remains liquid and functional at temperatures where mercury would solidify and become useless.
While alcohol is indeed less toxic than mercury, that is a safety advantage rather than the reason it is chosen for cold-climate thermometers. Alcohol actually boils at a lower temperature than mercury (about 78 °C vs 357 °C), which limits its upper range. Both mercury and alcohol expand fairly evenly, so even expansion is not the distinguishing factor for cold climates.
Download The App On Google Playstore
Everything you need to excel in your exams
