Question

why mercury can remain for one or two years in the atmosphere without reacting.

Answer 1

it's a poor heat conductor and not as great of electricity conductor as other metals, which makes it less likely to be very highly reactive in comparison to other transition metals. You can look at the e\(^-\) configuration to explain this.

Answer 2

thanks for the reply, but as far as i know, mercury is a great conductor of electricity and that is why we use mercury in light bulbs, switches and sooo many electrical related things....