Mercury chemical forms

The principal constituents of the paniculate matter are lead/zinc and iron oxides, but oxides of metals such as arsenic, antimony, cadmium, copper, and mercury are also present, along with metallic sulfates. Dust from raw materials handling contains metals, mainly in sulfidic form, although chlorides, fluorides, and metals in other chemical forms may be present. Off-gases contain fine dust panicles and volatile impurities such as arsenic, fluorine, and mercury. 

In this final section, the global cycles of two metals, mercury and copper, are reviewed. These metals were chosen because their geochemical cycles have been studied extensively, and their chemical reactions exemplify the full gamut of reactions described earlier. In addition, the chemical forms of the two metals are sufficiently different from one another that they behave differently with respect to dominant... 

Bloom, N.S. (1992). On the chemical form of mercury in edible fish and marine invertebrate tissue. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 49, 1010-1017. 

Kim EY, Murakami T, Saeki K, Tatsukawa R. 1996. Mercury levels and its chemical form in tissues and organs of seabirds. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol 30 259-266. 

Thompson DR, Furness RW. 1989a. The chemical form of mercury stored in South Atlantic seabirds. Environ PoUut 60 305-318. 

Mercury (Hg) can occur in a large number of physical and chemical forms with a variety of properties, thus determining complex distribution, bioavailability, and toxicity patterns [1]. The most important chemical forms are elemental Hg (Hg°), ionic Hg (Hg2+ and Hg22+), and alkylmercury compounds. Because of their capability to permeate through biological membranes and to bioaccumulate and to biomagnificate through the trophic chain, alkylmercury compounds are the most toxic mercury species found in the aquatic environment [2]. 

Cappon, C.J. and J.C. Smith. 1982. Chemical form and distribution of mercury and selenium in edible seafood. Jour. Anal. Toxicol. 6 10-21. 

As a rule, simulations consider emissions of heavy metals from anthropogenic and natural sources, transport in the atmosphere and deposition to the underlying surface (Figure 6). It is assumed that lead and cadmium are transported in the atmosphere only as a part of aerosol particles. Besides, chemical transformations of these metals do not change removal properties of their particles-carriers. On the contrary, mercury enters the atmosphere in different physical and chemical forms and undergoes numerous transformations during its pathway in the atmosphere (Ilyn et al., 2002 2004 Ilyin and Travnikov, 2003). 

GEMEP is applicable to virtually all chemical forms of mercury, including those with very low vapor pressures, such as mercury oxide or sulfide. These high boiling compounds are problematic for thermal desorption. 

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. 

Mercury interacts with sulfhydryl groups in vivo, inhibiting enzymes and altering cell membranes. The pattern of clinical intoxication from mercury depends to a great extent on the chemical form of the metal and the route and severity of exposure. 

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