Mercury chemistry on brominated activated carbon

► Hg is adsorbed on brominated AC as Hg2+ at both 30 °C and 140 °C. ► Chemisorption is the likely adsorption mechanism of Hg. ► Hg interacts with two Br atoms at a distance of 2.55 ± 0.01 Å inside the C matrix. ► Hg s- and Hg p-states hybridize with Br and C p-states to form stable complexes.