Mercurial toxic action

The site of accumulation may define tlie point of toxic action. Inorganic mercury accumulation in the kidneys causes sever functional impairment Kidney damage has been shown to occur when the accumulated total of cadmium in the kidney cortex reaches 100-200 ppm... 

Mercuric chloride, other mercury-containing antibacterials and silver will inhibit enzymes in the membrane, and for that matter in the cytoplasm, which contain thiol, -SH, groups. A similar achon is shown by 2-bromo-2-nitropropan-l,3-diol (bronopol) and iso-thiazolones. Under appropriate condihons the toxic action on cell thiol groups may be reversed by addition of an extrinsic thiol compound, for example cysteine or thioglycollic aeid (see also Chapters 12 and 23). 

The mechanism of mercury toxicity is still largely unknown. It is not known whether there are unique mechanisms of action for the toxic effects in children that would require special consideration for treatment modalities, but at present it appears that target site is determined more by the pharmacokinetics (i.e., which tissues end up with the highest levels) than by a specific mechanism of action (e.g., a receptor binding-process initiating type of mechanism). 

Clarkson TW, Strain JJ. Nutritional factors may modify the toxic action of methyl mercury in fish-eating populations. J Nutr 2003 133(5 Suppl 1) 1539S-43S. 

Barnes, H., and F. A. Stanbury The toxic action of copper and mercury salts both separately and when mixed on the harpacticid copepod Nitocra spinipes. J. Expt. Biol. 25, 270 (1948). 

Mercuric Nitrate (Mercury Nitrate, Mercury Pemitrate). Hg(NO3)2 0, mw 342.61, OB to HgO and N2 +26.4% wh deliq powd or colorl crysts, mp 79°, bp dec, d 4.39g/cc. Sol in w and nitric acid, insol in ale. Prepd by action of hot nitric acid on ale. Highly toxic and a dangerous fire risk in contact with organic materials, It has been used for the nitration of aromatic organic compds and in the prepn of MF... 

Mercurous Nitrate (Mercury Protonitrate). HgN03.H20, mw 280.64, OB to HgO N2 +17.1%, mp 70° dec, bp explds, d 4.78g/cc. Short prismatic crysts effloresces and becomes anhydrous in dry air sensitive to light. Sol in small quantities of warm w (hydrolyzes in larger quantities), w acidified with nitric acid. Prepd by action of cold dil nitric acid upon an excess of Hg with slight warming. Highly toxic may explode if shocked or heated. There is no US Specification for Mercurous Nitrate Refs 1) Merck (1968), 6,62-L 2) CondChem-... 

The emption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, provided geologists with a unique opportunity to study the action of volcanos. Gas samples from the plume were collected and analyzed for toxic heavy metals. To collect mercury (Hg), gas samples were passed over a piece of gold metal, which binds Hg atoms veiy tightly. The mass of the metal increased as it absorbed Hg from the plume. From a plume-gas sample containing 200 g of ash, 3.60 ft g of Hg was deposited on the gold. How many moles of mercury were present in the gas sample How many atoms is this ... 

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