The temperature is expressed from thermometer as a number of a particular unit. However, they present many safety and environmental hazards. It is also known as mercury-in-glass thermometer. Advantages of using alcohol over mercury as thermometric liquid are: i) Alcohol has greater value of temperature coefficient of expansion than mercury. He holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Business Administration from Lake Forest. High-temperature range compared to the alcohol thermometers is another advantage of the mercury types. For the retail consumer, the most common applications are for cooking, health monitoring and inside/outdoor temperature.Historically, mercury thermometers have been used for nearly all temperature measurements because of their accuracy and low cost. fragile . He has been writing and publishing articles in since 1982, mainly in healthcare, medical device and scientific periodicals. Difference Between Alcohol and Mercury Thermometers cannot be used for thermograph. The capillary tube is located inside a glass tube on which the temperature values are marked on. Their primary advantage is safety to humans and the environment. The visible sale is often a glass tube marked with a temperature range. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. The most commonly used colors as dye are blue or red.Alcohol thermometers are used in the place of mercury thermometers considering the safety of the chemical compound.
Disadvantages. Despite this wide range, the amount that mercury expands is eight times less than alcohol, which allows mercury thermometers to be made smaller and more compact than alcohol thermometers.
Metallic mercury in its liquid state is relatively harmless when confined. Fish and sea animals at the top of the food chain of the ocean, lakes and streams consume these compounds in their diets, where they tend to accumulate in their body tissues. easily calibrated. ii) it's freezing point is below –100°C. But if the capillary tube is filled with nitrogen gas, then the temperature range can be further increased since nitrogen is an inert gas and the pressure exerted by the gas on the mercury can increase the boiling point of mercury.Below −37°C, mercury is a soli. Mercury is difficult to clean and it can easily contaminate other surfaces after a thermometer breaks. When these thermometers are placed in warm solutions, they can measure the temperature of that solution using the expansion of the liquid inside the bulb through the capillary tube. Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with thermometric liquids.-It is a good conductor of heat and therefore the whole liquid reaches the temperature of the surroundings quickly.-It expands uniformly (linear expansion) and responds quickly to temperature changes, hence is sensitive.-It has a high freezing point therefore it cannot be used in places where the temperature gets very low.-It has a low freezing point (-115 degree centigrade) therefore it is very suitable for place where the temperature gets very low.-It is an easily available cheap liquid, which is safe to useAlcohol is cheaper than mercury, and if you break the thermometer, it is not toxic.-it has a low boiling point (cannot be used in places with high temperatures)-it does not react quickly to changes in temperatureStill have questions? Mercury's high boiling point allows it to be used in thermometers that are in steaming hot liquids and other cooking foods.The disadvantages of mercury are quite clear. But the maximum temperature measured by an alcohol thermometer is 78.5°C; hence this thermometer is suitable for measuring lower temperatures. “SpiritTherm02” By Chemical Engineer – Own work, Public Domain) via Madhusha is a BSc (Hons) graduate in the field of Biological Sciences and is currently pursuing for her Masters in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. fragile . Advantages;alcohol expands with increase in temperature.it also has a low melting point. When the dyed alcohol rises upward the capillary tube, the position of the meniscus can be clearly located. durable. This can make the thermometer show the results more slowly and less accurately. Advantages of using alcohol over mercury as thermometric liquid are: i) Alcohol has greater value of temperature coefficient of expansion than mercury. The main difference between alcohol and mercury thermometer is that the bulb of mercury thermometer is filled with mercury whereas the bulb of alcohol thermometer is filled with alcohol.1.
Alcohol is cheaper than mercury, and if you break the thermometer, it is not toxic.