Tellurium, biomethylation

Tellurium biomethylation also occurs via the Challenger mechanism. However, it is not yet clear whether or not the same enzymes are used as in the case of sele-... 

Chasteen TG, R Bentley (2002) Biomethylation of selenium and tellurium microorganisms and plants. Chem Rev 103 1-25. 

Reviews of the extensive biochemistry of selenium in bacteria are available 108,109 ug fenler for Disease Control summaries for Se toxicology are also available110 A more recent review of the processes of biomethylation of selenium and tellurium in microorganisms and plants is also available.111... 

At present, arsenic, mercury, selenium, and tin have been unequivocally established as undergoing biomethylation. There is substantial, though not completely unequivocal, evidence for the biomethylation of lead, tellurium, and thallium, at least under laboratory conditions. Various... 

Biomethylation. Methylation and methyl transfer are important reactions in the organic metabolism of organisms (Mudd, 1973) and it has been known for some time that dimethyl selenide, dimethyl telluride and di- and trimethyl arsine are biosynthetic products of the metabolism of inorganic compounds selenium, tellurium and arsenic, respectively, by microorganisms (Challenger, 1951). 

Volatilisation is the microbial biochemical process that methylates heavy metals. Several methyl-metal complexes have significant vapour pressures at room temperature. In this way metals methylated by the microbes just boil ofF. The best known metals to be treated in this fashion are mercury, selenium, tellurium, arsenic and tin. Much of the biomethylation pathway is unknown it appears to be very complex [26]. As a result of the complexity of the volatilisation process it has not been used in effluent treatment and is not discussed further herein. 

Carvalho KM, Gallardo-Williams MT, Benson RF, Martin DF (2003) Effects of selenium supplementation on four agricultural crops. J Agric Food Chem 51 704-709 Chasteen TG, Bentley R (2002) Biomethylation of selenium and tellurium microorganisms and plants. Chem Rev 103 1-25... 

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