Other Aspects of Biological Transmethylation

The potential for uptake of such organometals into viable organisms (or the release therefrom). 

The underlying chemistry of the organometals, which determines their tendency to speciate and which determines their molecular identification and analysis (qualitative and quantitative) in environmental or biological matrices. 

Analysts, however, must exercise caution in interpreting results, since the work-up techniques may cause misleading alterations in the compound ) under study. A case in point involves the gas chromatographic 

In such a case, direct As-specific liquid chromatography of sufficient sensitivity could distinguish between these possibilities 167, 232, 233). 

Intermediate metal hydrides or methylmetals may decompose by the pathways shown in Fig. 6. Heterolytic cleavage giving CH3, H+, or CH3, H, or homolytic cleavage giving CH3- or H- will reduce the metal atom by 2, 0, or 1 electron(s), respectively. Present chemical evidence for reductive demethylation 40 44,48) or oxidative methylation 122, 131, 137) 

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