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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;davidh, post: 2645016, member: 15062&quot;]It&#039;s not mercury metal that&#039;s dangerous, it&#039;s the vapors from heated mercury that will poison you.&nbsp; Play with it all you want, just don&#039;t heat it and breathe the vapors.&nbsp; If it was dangerous to handle, just about every kid who grew up in the 50&#039; or 60&#039;s would be dead by now.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p><b>Elemental mercury</b>. Quicksilver (<b>liquid metallic mercury</b>) is poorly absorbed by ingestion and skin contact. Its vapor is the most hazardous form. Animal data indicate less than 0.01% of ingested <b>mercury</b> is absorbed through the intact gastrointestinal tract, though it may not be true for individuals suffering from ileus.&nbsp; [Wikipedia]</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Mercury will combine with copper but the copper must be pure.&nbsp; If you have a penny you have to remove the oxide layer with acid first, then coat with the mercury.&nbsp; An easier way is to coat the penny (can have oxide layer) with mercuric nitrate for several minutes.&nbsp; This will put a dark coating on the penny but rubbing it with a soft rag will bring out the shine.</p><p><br /></p><p>The OP&#039;s cent doesn&#039;t have the bright shine that mercury produces.&nbsp; His is more likely coated with zinc or nickel.&nbsp; If it&#039;s zinc, it could be heated over a gas flame for a few seconds.&nbsp; This would cause the zinc to combine with the copper and form bronze which could then be polished to a gold color.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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