Alkylmercury salts Mercury

Elemental mercury is mainly hazardous as vapor. There is less danger of absorbing the metal for the digestive tract. Like the alkylmercurials, elemental Hg affects the central nervons system, accompanied with such symptoms as tremors, irritability, and sleeplessness. Kidney damage is also reported due to influence of inorganic mercury salts due to a complexation of mercury by the protein metallothionein, which accumulates in the renal tubules. 

For small-scale hydrations, it is convenient to use mercury salts, such as mercuric acetate, Hg(OAc)2, to carry out the addition of H—OH across a double bond. This process is called oxymercuration. In this two-step process, an alkene is first treated with mercuric acetate, then the initial alkylmercury compound formed is reduced with sodium borohydride (Na BH4). 

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