Mercury® ion

Microbial processes can also detoxify mercury ions and organic compounds by reducing the mercury to the elemental form, which is volatile (86). This certainly reduces the environmental impact of compounds such as methylmercury, however, such a bioprocess would have to include a mercury capture system before it could be exploited on a large scale with pubHc support. 

In a similar manner, in a solution containing the species Hg2+, HgY2-, MY,n 4)+ and M"+, where Y is the complexing agent EDTA and M"+ is a metallic ion which forms complexes with it, the concentration of the mercury ion is controlled by the stability constants of the complex ions MYhigh stability constant), and the concentration of the metal ions M"+. Hence, a mercury electrode placed in this solution will acquire a potential which is determined by the concentration of the ion M"+. 

Mercury cyanide, 5, 1062 Mercury electrodes potential range aqueous solution, 1, 480 Mercury fluoride, 5. 1059 Mercury fulminate, 2, 7, 12 5, 1063 Mercury halides, 5, 1049 Mercury iodate, 5,1068 Mercury iodide, 5. 1059 Mercury ions Hgf... 

In the titrmetric procedure, the serum is diluted in 0.07 N nitric acid and titrated with a dilute mercuric nitrate solution in the presence of diphenylcarbazone (34). A purple color forms when excess mercury ions appear, over that needed to complex the chloride. Using an ultramicro buret this method has found wide use in the past. The microburets which are available such as the Rehburg buret are typified in Figure 22. 

In selecting reference electrodes for practical use, one should apply two criteria that of reducing the diffusion potentials and that of a lack of interference of RE components with the system being studied. Thus, mercury-containing REs (calomel or mercury-mercuric oxide) are inappropriate for measurements in conjunction with platinum electrodes, since the mercury ions readily poison platinum surfaces. Calomel REs are also inappropriate for systems sensitive to chloride ions. 

On the surface of metal electrodes, one also hnds almost always some kind or other of adsorbed oxygen or phase oxide layer produced by interaction with the surrounding air (air-oxidized electrodes). The adsorption of foreign matter on an electrode surface as a rule leads to a lower catalytic activity. In some cases this effect may be very pronounced. For instance, the adsorption of mercury ions, arsenic compounds, or carbon monoxide on platinum electrodes leads to a strong decrease (and sometimes total suppression) of their catalytic activity toward many reactions. These substances then are spoken of as catalyst poisons. The reasons for retardation of a reaction by such poisons most often reside in an adsorptive displacement of the reaction components from the electrode surface by adsorption of the foreign species. 

Examples P205, diphosphorus pentaoxide or phosphorus(V) oxide Hgj +, mercury ion or dimercury(2+) ion K2[Fe(CN)6], potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) or potassium hexacyanofer-rate(4—) Pb2IPbIV04, dilead(TI) lead(TV) oxide or trilead tetraoxide. 

Both models apply the same chemical scheme of mercury transformations. It is assumed that mercury occurs in the atmosphere in two gaseous forms—gaseous elemental HgO, gaseous oxidized Hg(II) particulate oxidized Hgpart, and four aqueous forms—elemental dissolved HgO dis, mercury ion Hg2+, sulphite complex Hg(S03)2, and aggregate chloride complexes HgnClm. Physical and chemical transformations include dissolution of HgO in cloud droplets, gas-phase and aqueous-phase oxidation by ozone and chlorine, aqueous-phase formation of chloride complexes, reactions of Hg2+ reduction through the decomposition of sulphite complex, and adsorption by soot particles in droplet water. 

Mercury is unusual in that it is found in the environment as both oxidized mercury ions and as reduced methyl mercury. The mercurous (Hg+) ion is... 

Mercuric chloride may induce catecholamine release from adrenals. The initial phase may be due to amine displacement by the mercury ion but the secondary phase probably involves alteration of membrane structures [95]. Mercury compounds have also been shown to increase the efflux of monoamines from mouse striated slices [96] and from adrenergic nerve fibre terminals [97], the effect being attributed to inhibition of Na /K+-ATPase activity and(or) disruption of intracellular Ca2+ regulatory mechanisms [96]. 

Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid at ordinary temperatures. It is therefore also the only metal that has a significant vapor pressure at ordinary temperatures. For this reason, it is possible to obtain mercury atoms in the gas phase for measurement by atomic absorption without the use of thermal energy. It is a matter of chemically converting mercury ions in the sample into elemental mercury, getting it in the gas phase, and channeling it into the path of the light of an atomic absorption instrument. 

The first product of the oxidation of alcohol is acetaldehyde and an important end-product is fulminic add, which latter can, however, only be isolated if silver or mercury ions are present. With these ions it forms salts—fulminates—which are stable towards nitric add in them, it must be presumed, the linkage with the metal is homopolar and non-ionogenic, as in mercuric cyanide. The formation of fulminic acid takes place because the carbonyl group of the aldehyde confers reactivity on the adjacent methyl group which then forms a point of attack for the nitrous acid. The various stages in the process are indicated by the following formulae ... 

Kim IK, Bunz UHF (2006) Modulating the sensory response of a conjugated polymer by proteins an agglutination assay for mercury ions in water. J Am Chem Soc 128 2818-2819... 

The solvomercuration reaction is thought to be a two-step process. In the first step (equation 147), electrophilic attachment of mercury ion to the alkene produces a positively charged intermediate. In the second step (equation 148), a nucleophile (generally a solvent molecule) reacts with the intermediate leading to the organomercury compound. 

For all reactions, the mass transport regime is controlled by the diffusion of the reacting ligand only, as the mercury electrode serves as an inexhaustible source for mercury ions. Hence, with respect to the mathematical modeling, reactions (2.205) and (2.206) are identical. This also holds true for reactions (2.210) and (2.211). Furthermore, it is assumed that the electrode surface is covered by a sub-monomolecular film without interactions between the deposited particles. For reactions (2.207) and (2.209) the ligand adsorption obeys a linear adsorption isotherm. Assuming semi-infinite diffusion at a planar electrode, the general mathematical model is defined as follows ... 

Mercury and its compounds may also be determined by ICP/AES. The method, however, is less sensitive than the cold vapor-AA technique. The metal also can be measured at low ppb level by colorimetry. Mercury ions react with dithizone in chloroform to show an orange color. Absorbance is measured at 492 nm using a spectrophotometer. 

Underpotential Deposition of Mercury on Cold Electrodes Earlier studies of UPD of mercury were carried out applying only classical electrochemical methods and polycrystalline electrodes. The results have shown that UPD of Hg is accompanied by adsorption of mercury ions. 

The mercury ion is capable of causing local or systemic toxicity. For local irritation, they are combined with theophylline in an attempt to diminish the irritative toxicity at the site of injection. IV administration may lead to ventricular arrhythmias. They cause hepatocellular damage and even precipitate hepatic failure. They can also lead to low salt syndrome, hypochloraemic alkalosis and potassium depletion. 

Li and coworkers synthesized the novel IL l-butyl-3-trimethylsilylimid-azolium hexafluorophosphate and demonstrated its utility for liquid/ liquid extraction of inorganic mercury. Using o-carboxyphenyl diazoamino p-azobenzene as a chelator to form a stable neutral complex with the metal ion, the authors demonstrated selective extraction into the hydrophobic IL phase [19]. When sodium sulfide was added to the IL phase, the mercury ion was back-extracted into the aqueous layer, providing an avenue for recycling the IL. The authors report extraction and back-extraction efficiencies of 99.9 and 100.1%, respectively, for a 5.0 pg/L aqueous mercury standard. The mercury detection limit was 0.01 ng/mL in water and the method was successfully applied to detecting trace mercury in natural water samples. 

Elements such as As, Se and Te can be determined by AFS with hydride sample introduction into a flame or heated cell followed by atomization of the hydride. Mercury has been determined by cold-vapour AFS. A non-dispersive system for the determination of Hg in liquid and gas samples using AFS has been developed commercially (Fig. 6.4). Mercury ions in an aqueous solution are reduced to mercury using tin(II) chloride solution. The mercury vapour is continuously swept out of the solution by a carrier gas and fed to the fluorescence detector, where the fluorescence radiation is measured at 253.7 nm after excitation of the mercury vapour with a high-intensity mercury lamp (detection limit 0.9 ng I l). Gaseous mercury in gas samples (e.g. air) can be measured directly or after preconcentration on an absorber consisting of, for example, gold-coated sand. By heating the absorber, mercury is desorbed and transferred to the fluorescence detector. 

One of the most versatile methods for the preparation of 1,1-disubstituted X -phosphorins 124 was discovered by Stade who found that X -phosphorins 2 can be oxidized (mercuric acetate gives the best results) in the presence of alcohols or phenols in benzene to 1.1-dialkoxy- or l.l-diphenoxy-X -phosphorins 124. The first step is probably a reaction of the soft X -phosphorin- jr-system with the soft acid Hg which by electron transfer leads to the weakly electrophilic radical cation 58. This is then attacked by alcohol or phenol - or as Hettche has found by other nucleophiles such as an amine to form by loss of a proton the neutral X -phosphorin radical 59. This radical is oxidized once again by mercury ions leading to the formation of elemental mercury and the strongly electrophilic, short-lived X -phosphorin cation 127, which is immediately attacked by alcohol, phenol or amine. Loss of a proton then leads to the X -phosphorin 124. It is also conceivable that 59 can couple directly with a radical to form 124 (Method E, p. 82). 

The most recent modification of the NBD-Cl method involves a further improvement in its qualitative support (616). It involves the infusion of the extract employed for thin-layer chromatography via an electrospray interface into a mass spectrometer operating in the multiple-stage mass spectrometry mode, thus allowing confirmation of suspect results. The cleanup of the thyroid gland samples was also performed with a selective extraction procedure, based on the specific complex formation of the thiouracil, methylthiouracil, propylthiouracil and phenylthiouracil, tapazole, and mercaptobenzimidazole residues with mercury ions bound in a Dowex 1-X2 affinity column. 

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