A current game franchise that uses puzzles as part of the narrative is "The Nancy Drew Mysteries". http://www.herinteractive.com/prod/index.shtml
You play as Nancy (and occasionally as some of her friends) in first person and solve mysteries by piecing together clues. The puzzles often unlock the next clue. The game is addictive (because of the puzzles, mostly) and a lot of fun.
-todd
Thus, it would *only* take ~22 gallons (83.3 liters) of pure water to completely dissolve the 5 mg of elemental mercury.
Adding more elemental mercury (e.g., the wastes from two CFLs) to an already saturated liquid would not pose an additional problem (assuming the drop itself was not consumed).
It is the same situation as adding more sugar to a "sweet as can be" glass of tea. The excess sugar eventually settles to the bottom of the glass and doesn't add anything to the taste.
In non-lab conditions, the solubility of mercury will likely be slightly higher due to alternative reactions.
Slashdot Mirror
A current game franchise that uses puzzles as part of the narrative is "The Nancy Drew Mysteries". http://www.herinteractive.com/prod/index.shtml You play as Nancy (and occasionally as some of her friends) in first person and solve mysteries by piecing together clues. The puzzles often unlock the next clue. The game is addictive (because of the puzzles, mostly) and a lot of fun.
-todd
The solubility of elemental mercury in pure water at room temperature is fairly low (~60 ppb) according to http://www.hgtech.com/Data/Hg%20Properties/Hg%20Water%20Solubility.htm
Thus, it would *only* take ~22 gallons (83.3 liters) of pure water to completely dissolve the 5 mg of elemental mercury.
Adding more elemental mercury (e.g., the wastes from two CFLs) to an already saturated liquid would not pose an additional problem (assuming the drop itself was not consumed).
It is the same situation as adding more sugar to a "sweet as can be" glass of tea. The excess sugar eventually settles to the bottom of the glass and doesn't add anything to the taste.
In non-lab conditions, the solubility of mercury will likely be slightly higher due to alternative reactions.
-todd