Many different methods can be used to resolve compounds into their elements. Sometimes, but not often, heat alone is sufficient. Mercury(II) oxide, a compound of mercury and oxygen, decomposes to its elements when heated to 600 degrees Celsius. Joseph Priestly, an English chemist, discovered oxygen more than 200 years ago when he carried out this reaction by exposing a sample of mercury(II) oxide to an intense beam of sunlight focused through a powerful lens. The mercury vapor formed is a deadly poison. Sir Isaac Newton, who distilled large quantities of mercury in his laboratory, suffered the effects in his later years.
Another method of resolving compounds into elements is electrolysis, which involves passing an electric current through a compound, usually in the liquid state. By electrolysis it is possible to separate water into the gaseous elements hydrogen and oxygen. Several decades ago it was proposed to use the hydrogen produced by electrolysis to raise the Titanic from its watery grave off the coast of Newfoundland. It didn't work.
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