The photochemistry of elemental mercury and oxygen was examined using quartz flow reactors. Germicidal bulbs were used as the source of 253.7-nm ultraviolet radiation. The formation of mercuric oxide, as visually detected by yellow-brown stains on the quartz walls, was confirmed by both ICP-AES and SEM-EDX analyses. In addition, a high surface area calcium silicate sorbent was used to capture the mercuric oxide in one of the experiments. The implications of mercuric oxide formation with respect to analysis of gases for mercury content, atmospheric reactions, and direct; ultraviolet irradiation of flue gas for mercury sequestration are discussed.