The liquid state of matter requires a relatively narrow range of temperature and pressure to exist. Put simply, as pressure is lowered, the boiling and freezing (or melting) points of matter begin to converge.
In space, where the pressure is essentially (but not quite) zero, these transition points are at about the same temperature.
This means a liquid cannot exist in the low-pressure environment of space.
Any material will be either a solid or a gas, and this depends on the temperature of the environment. This is true for all materials, including mercury and other metals.
This doesn’t mean that liquids don’t exist elsewhere in the Universe. If there’s pressure in a planetary atmosphere or beneath a planet’s crust, there is the potential for liquids to form.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Derryck Morton, via email) 'Can liquids exist in space?'
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