Sediments organomercury compounds

NMR has been applied to the determination of organomercury compounds in non-saline sediments and humic and fulvic acids in soil and saline sediments. 

Langmyhr et al. [45] have applied cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry to the determination of organomercury compounds in soils and sediments. 

Cappon and Crispin-Smith [59] have described a method for the extraction, clean-up and gas chromatographic determination of alkyl and aryl mercury compounds in sediments. The organomercury compounds are converted to their chloroderivatives and solvent extracted. Inorganic mercury is then isolated as methylmercury upon reaction with tetramethyltin. The initial extract is subjected to a thiosulphate clean-up and the organomercury species are isolated as their bromoderivatives. Total mercury recovery was in the range 75-90% and down to lpg kg-1 of specific compounds can be determined. 

Methylmercury species in sediment samples were speciated in a study by Hintelman et al. [89]. Detection limits were 1 pg (as Hg) in dry sediment samples. Organomercury compounds, along with organotin and organolead compounds, were also separated in another study by Prange and Jantzen [90]. Detection limits were three orders of magnitude lower than those reported previously in the literature. A quartz transfer line was used in this study. 

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