The most common source of mercury is cinnabar (HgS), whereas Zn and Cd in the same group occur as sulfide, carbonate, silicate, and oxide. Why

Explanation:

The reactivity of group 12 elements decreases from zinc to mercury. The reduction potentials also become more positive from zinc to mercury.

Mercury has a positive reduction potential and is quite a noble metal.

Similarly, there is a large difference in first ionization energy between cadmium and mercury.

As a result of all these, zinc and cadmium are more reactive than mercury so they form a range of compounds obtained in nature which include; sulphides, carbonates, silicates and oxides while mercury's only common form is cinnabar.

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