Ethylmercury

Evans RD, Addison EM, VUleneuve JY, MacDonald KS, Joachim DG. 2000. Distribution of inorganic and ethylmercury among tissues in mink Mustela vison) and otter (Lutra canadensis). Environ Res 84 133-139. 

Kimura and Miller [28] have also studied the decomposition of organic fungicides in soil to mercury vapour and to methyl- or ethylmercury compounds and devised methods for the determination of these compounds in the vapours liberated from the soil sample. The mixed vapours of mercury and organomercury compounds is passed successively through bubblers containing a carbonate-phosphate solution to absorb organic... 

Ethylmercury produced about equal amounts of mercury vapour and an uncharacterized volatile ethylmercury compound, while methylmercury chloride and methylmercury dicyanamide both produced an uncharacterized methylmercury compound plus some mercury vapour. 

Kimura and Miller [29] have described a procedure for the determination of organomercury (methylmercury, ethylmercury and phenylmercury compounds) and inorganic mercury in soil. In this method the sample is digested in a steam bath with sulphuric acid (0.9M) containing hydroxy ammonium sulphate, sodium chloride and, if high concentrations of organic matter are present, potassium dichromate solution. Then, 50% hydrogen... 

Total mercury is determined in soils containing phenylmercury acetate and or ethylmercury acetate using the method described by Polley and Miller [31]. Total mercury is determined in soils containing methylmercury chloride and methylmercury dicyanamide by the method described by Kimura and Miller [32], Kimura and Miller [30] present chemical data on the nature of residual mercurials in soil and in the atmosphere surrounding the treated soil to further elucidate the phenomena of degradation in soil. 

Figure 2.8 Detection of alkylmercury compounds using flameless atomic absorption detector. Conditions column, Corasil I, 50 cm x 2.1 mm i.d. eluent, n-hexane flow rate, 0.5 ml min-1 detection, flameless atomic absorption spectrometer. Peaks 1, benzene, 2, ethylmercury chloride, and 3, methylmer-cury chloride.

Among some metal oxygen compounds which add, palladium and thallium ion both oxidize olefins and apparently the initial step is the addition of a metal hydroxide across the olefin double bond. The intermediates have not been isolated because they go on to other products but kinetic and other evidence indicates that the addition of the hydroxide is the initial step. In the well known mercury acetate addition to olefins in alcohol solution one can isolate the /S-hydroxv or alkoxy ethylmercury derivatives. 

Mercury is mined predominantly as HgS in cinnabar ore and is then converted commercially to a variety of chemical forms. Key industrial and commercial applications of mercury are found in the electrolytic production of chlorine and caustic soda the manufacture of electrical equipment, thermometers, and other instruments fluorescent lamps dental amalgam and artisanal gold production. Use in pharmaceuticals and in biocides has declined substantially in recent years, but occasional use in antiseptics and folk medicines is still encountered. Thimerosal, an organomercurial preservative that is metabolized in part to ethylmercury, has been removed from almost all the vaccines in which it was formerly present. Environmental exposure to mercury from the burning of fossil fuels, or the bioaccumulation of methylmercury in fish, remains a concern in some regions of the world. Low-level exposure to mercury released from dental amalgam fillings occurs, but systemic toxicity from this source has not been established. 

The exploitation of atomic-absorption spectrophotometry for monitoring HPLC column effluents has been recently examined by Funasaka et al. [46]. An eluent-vaporizing system was designed which introduced the effluent into the atomic-absorption unit. The limit of detection of compounds such as ethylmercury chloride was ca. 10 ng compared to 30 jug for a UV detector at 210 nm. The extreme selectivity of atomic absorption could make this technique of great value for the analysis of trace amounts of organometallic compounds and metal chelates. 

Pentaethyldisilanyl)ethylmercury, bis(pentaethyldisilanyl)mercury and (pentaethyldisilanyl)triethylgermylmercury are prepared by means of reactions indicated by the following equations (198). 

Samples of atmospheric mercury were obtained by pre-concentration of mercury on columns of graphitised carbon black (Carbotrap). The columns, at ambient temperature, retained mercury vapour and alkylmercury compounds (Bloom and Fitzgerald, 1988). Methylmercury chloride, ethylmercury chloride and dimethylmercury were held on the column at temperatures as high as 29°C and air flow rates as high as 790cm3min 1. At high flow rates and high temperature,... 

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